Prelude to a Requiem
by kitsunered ink
Summary: Life just got a whole lot more interesting in Konoha, as unknown refugees from the Hidden Village of Sound have arrived seeking asylum. As the intrigue surrounding the refugees deepens, Iruka finds himself drawn to one of their number. IrukaXOC:Not Yaoi
1. Prelude

**Author's Notes:** This story grew out of my frustration at not being able to find any Iruka fan fiction that wasn't KakashixIruka. Generally I don't have a problem with slash, but, to me, it just didn't make sense in Iruka's case. I mean, he's affected by Naruto's "Sexy no Jutsu", so he's probably straight. That and even if Iruka did swing the other way, I don't see Kakashi as a likely partner; they barely know each other and what they do know of each other they don't like. So no KakashixIruka here, guys. If you're looking for something more along those lines there are tons of other stories on to fit the bill.

Secondly, I got to thinking that the idea of Orochimaru founding the Hidden Village of Sound seemed kind of… odd. How would he found a village so quickly anyway? So I started wondering if maybe the village existed before Orochimaru, and the idea behind this story spiraled out of that curiosity.

Finally, I've taken a bit of creative license with this story; mostly involving Iruka's abilities, which are (as of this writing) unexplored in the series, but also involving the time period in which the story is set. The story takes place somewhere between Tsunade's arrival in Konoha, and Sasuke's departure (i.e. – episodes 98 – 108). I think it's only a couple of weeks in the actual series, but here it's portrayed as slightly longer.

Anyway, enough babbling for me. I bet you'd like to see the actual story, wouldn't you?

**Chapter One: Prelude**

Dawn broke slowly over the forest surrounding the Hidden Village of Konoha, causing the birds to twitter excitedly and the small nocturnal creatures of the forest to dart into various darkened dens. The day did not dawn brightly, however, as the sky was somewhat overcast, and the surrounding gray seeped into every corner of the thick underbrush as dense, wet mist.

The Anbu scout paused atop a tree branch and surveyed the forest floor below. The mist was so thick it was almost impossible to see the ground or anything that might be moving across it. Even the base of the tree on which he perched was all but obscured.

Sighing under his breath, the scout shifted position and prepared to leap to another branch when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

There.

No, there.

Something was moving through the mist below and it seemed to be considerably larger than a fox or rabbit.

The Anbu member paused, considering whether he should sound the alarm. He would be seriously embarrassed if the mysterious movement turned out to be something as innocuous as a bear. Still, he had a job to do, and that job required he act upon any suspicion of approaching danger. He sat back on his heels and let out the long, low birdcall that would summon other members of his patrol to his location. He was satisfied when he noticed that, at the sound of his call, all movement in the mist below had ceased.

Probably meant something was up, then.

Just then, another member of his patrol landed soundlessly on the branch next to him. The scout nodded in greeting to him, then to the other members of the patrol that appeared on various branches surrounding him. Silently, he inclined his head toward the forest below to indicate something was down there, and without a word, the patrol moved as one, leaping silently into the mist.

They landed almost soundlessly in a circle surrounding the area the scout had indicated. As the mist parted with their movements, the patrol could suddenly see three figures kneeling on the forest floor. The figures' heads were lowered and they didn't seem to be moving, but their shoulders and chests rose and fell with breath. There were two men and one woman, all wearing forehead protectors, though the mist concealed the symbols inscribed upon them.

The Anbu patrol leader was the first to speak, "You are trespassing here. State your business or be gone."

One of the men, the one that knelt in front of his companions spoke, "We wish to speak with the Kage of Konoha. We mean no disrespect and will come peacefully and unarmed if requested."

The Anbu patrol leader paused, considering, "What business do you have with the Hokage?"

"We wish to surrender to the Hokage and discuss a treaty," the man raised his head to look the patrol leader in the eye, and at that moment the sunlight caught the metal of his forehead protector, burning the image into the Anbu members' eyes.

He was a member of the Sound. Which probably meant the other two were Sound ninja as well.

The patrol leader was stuck. Since they were Sound ninja, this could possibly be some sort of trickery. In fact, it likely was. However, the patrol couldn't just leave them there to continue their mischief, nor could they attack them outright when the opposing ninja had already surrendered. Sighing, the patrol leader turned to the rest of his squad, "Disarm them and bind their hands. We'll take them back to the village and, if the Hokage decides to see them, so be it. In the meantime, they'll remain in Anbu custody."

The Anbu patrol members moved to respond, and found that the Sound ninja offered no resistance. The man at the front of the group seemed to be carrying no weapons other than the usual shuriken and other basic ninja gear. The same went for the second man to his right, although that one had an inordinate number of scrolls upon his person. The woman, however, had been wearing two wicked looking daggers, one sheathed at each thigh.

The weapons were removed and the prisoners' hands bound. The three then rose to their feet as one and allowed the Anbu patrol to escort them back toward the village. The sun had just risen to its zenith by the time they reached the village's gates.

* * *

Iruka's class had just begun when a shout from one of his students summoned the rest of the children to the window, "Look, an Anbu patrol! And they've caught someone!"

"Back to your seats!" amid the chorus of "ooh"'s and "let me see"'s, Iruka attempted to push his way through the throng and regain some control over his students.

"Look, Sound ninja!" squealed one of the girls.

Iruka snapped into action, "Everyone, back to your seats! Now!"

Were the Sound invading again? He'd have to begin evacuation procedures if necessary. Hurriedly pushing the rest of the way to the window, and frowning deeply in worry, Iruka looked down into the street below.

An Anbu squad of six was moving at a brisk pace down the street, surrounding what appeared to be three other ninja. The three ninja in the center appeared to be unarmed and it looked as if their hands had been tied behind their backs.

At the forefront of the three was a tall man, bearded, with striking red hair. He was dressed simply in a long sleeved black shirt, baggy black pants, and a dark blue vest covered in pockets. His wrists were wrapped in dark blue bandages and he wore a Sound forehead protector across his brow. He walked with purpose, staring straight ahead as if nothing would faze him.

Just behind the red haired man, slightly to his right, was another, younger man with shoulder length dark green hair. He too was dressed simply, in a baggy kimono-style top and baggy black pants, the pants sporting a remarkable number of pockets. Wrapped around his waist was a dark blue sash, and he too wore a Sound forehead protector. He had handsome, angular features and a curious expression on his face as he looked at the surrounding village. Noticing the children at the window of Iruka's classroom, he smiled and nudged the woman next to him, indicating the window with his shoulder when she looked up from behind a long spill of white blonde hair.

The woman was pretty, with delicate, almost kittenish features, and had eyes so bright a blue that Iruka could see their color from where he was standing. She was dressed a bit more complicated than the other two, in a pair of baggy blue cargo pants, a black fishnet shirt, and a white tank top over the fishnet. Her wrists were wrapped in white bandages, and empty weapon holsters were strapped to the outside of each thigh. Her forehead protector sat mostly beneath her hair, but Iruka could see the gleam of the metal in the morning sunlight.

The woman glanced up at the window her companion had indicated and a small, almost hopeful smile graced the corners of her mouth. She murmured something inaudible to the green haired man beside her and he nodded vigorously, looking satisfied.

Iruka harrumphed and turned back to his classroom. "Everyone back in your seats right now," he barked, and this time the children scrambled to obey. Striding back to his place at the front of the class, Iruka pulled out his lesson book and shuffled some papers.

"Whatever is going on, it looks like Anbu has it well under control. There will now be a pop quiz since you all seem so sure you don't need to pay attention in class today."

The children groaned and pulled out pencils and paper while Iruka smiled inwardly. It looked as if no danger of invasion was currently eminent, so he would enjoy reasserting authority over his unruly class. If only they knew, he mused, just how worried I'd been for a moment, they'd have me wrapped around their fingers in no time.


	2. Adagio

**Chapter Two: Adagio**

The cell in which the three Sound ninja waited was dark and chilly. Suzu shivered in spite of herself and tried to think thoughts of warmth. She glanced over towards Renjiro, but the red haired Jounin was sitting on a wooden bench, not saying a word and staring straight ahead. Suzu knew that being treated like a criminal probably wounded Renjiro's pride, but that he would tough it out to accomplish what needed to be done. He was always as steady as a rock when necessary.

Turning toward Juro, Suzu gave him a hopeful, half-worried smile, "Do you think they'll let us see their Kage?"

The green haired man gave her a reassuring grin, "Of course they will, Suzu. They'll be too curious not to. I mean, how often do three Sound ninja come walking peacefully into their village anyway?"

Suzu nodded, "It just worries me a little bit. I mean, we've been waiting a long time."

"Probably waiting to see if we try anything," grunted Renjiro, who was then silent once more.

"True," Juro said thoughtfully, "But they can't keep us waiting forever. Eventually they'll come."

"I hope it's soon," sighed Suzu, "I don't know how much longer we can afford to wait."

Just then there was a clang from outside their cell, like that of a metal door being unlocked and opened, and an Anbu guard appeared outside the bars.

"The Hokage will see you now," he said simply, "You are to remain unarmed and bound. Please come peacefully."

He pulled a key out of his robes and unlocked the cell door just as two more Anbu guards appeared. Upon exiting, Suzu saw three more guards waiting in the hallway beyond the metal door.

"Not taking any chances with us, are they?" muttered Juro, and Suzu had to agree.

Renjiro stepped out of the cell first, followed by Juro and then Suzu. The three walked silently amidst their escort until they were ushered to two large wooden doors.

"Wait here," stated the same guard who had spoken before, vanishing in a small puff of smoke and leaving them with the remaining, silent Anbu escort.

Suzu glanced at Renjiro hopefully, but he was staring unblinking at the double wooden doors, chin lifted and shoulders thrown back. She sighed under her breath in exasperation, not entirely sure what they'd gotten themselves into. Just as she was about to turn to Juro and ask him if Renjiro had let anyone in on his plan, the doors unlocked and swung open.

"Move," one of the Anbu guards intoned, and the three captive Sound ninja shuffled forward into the darkened room. Once they had passed the threshold, the double doors swung shut behind them with a loud bang.

As Suzu's eyes adjusted to the dimness, she could see that they were in a library, and that the only source of light seemed to be coming from a scant few candles perched upon a desk some distance away. As her vision grew clearer, she could also see that the room was literally lined with Anbu guards, as one was posted every few feet along each wall leading up to the desk.

Suzu counted thirteen… fourteen, before Renjiro began to move purposefully toward the light and whoever might be seated there. Glancing at Juro, who nodded, the two of them followed their commander.

Upon reaching the desk, Suzu could see it was manned by a beautiful young woman with honey blonde hair and intelligent brown eyes. The surface of the desk in front of her was covered with books and scrolls, half-melted candles, brushes and inkpots. The woman looked up at their approach and, feigning boredom, sighed and put down her brush.

"You asked to see me," she said, wryly.

Renjiro seemed slightly taken aback, "We asked to see the… the Hokage. If you are she, then yes, we asked to meet with you."

Suzu could agree with Renjiro's trepidation. This woman looked far too young to be the most powerful ninja in this village. Could this be some sort of trick?

The blonde woman leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers, "I am Tsunade, 5th Hokage of Konoha. What is it you ask of me?"

Renjiro seemed to relax at the mention of the woman's name, "Tsunade – ah, we have come here peacefully seeking a treaty, and we also have a request of you: my people seek asylum. Will you give it to us?"

"You still haven't told me who you are," Tsunade said dryly, "You come wearing the emblems of the Hidden Village of Sound, yet you do not attack us and instead seek a treaty under the terms of asylum. That doesn't sound like the Sound ninja I know."

"I am Miho Renjiro, a Jounin of the Hidden Village of Sound. My associates are Arai Suzu and Terada Juro, both Chuunin of the Sound. As for why we ask for asylum, it is… a long and complex story," Renjiro continued, "If you will permit me, I will tell it to you."

"Pray do," said Tsunade, a curious gleam in her eye.

Renjiro turned to glance at Suzu, then Juro and began:

"The Hidden Village of Sound is a very young village, not more than three generations old. It was founded by Mochida Yukio and several groups of wanderers who had fled other villages and were seeking a new place to settle, far away from the bloody political machinations of the other villages and kingdoms.

Mochida Yukio himself was originally a ninja from the Hidden Village of Rain, a musician, and a scholar. He founded the Village of Sound on the principal of Harmony; that all who lived in the village would work together in tandem to create a serene, peaceful way of life. He also requested that the village remain hidden, even from the other villages, so that we might not be sucked into violence once more. He did, however, think to train a small squadron of ninja to help defend the village, similar to your own guard."

Renjiro indicated the Anbu members lining the walls of Tsunade's library, then continued:

"For a while, things were calm. Eventually Mochida Yukio died of old age and leadership of the village passed on to his son, Mochida Tai. Tai had been trained by his father, and was a powerful ninja in his own right. However he was deathly afraid of the village being attacked, so he doubled the number of ninja in the village, and began to seek out and create new techniques for martial defense. He also encouraged those ninja beneath him to learn and create their own new techniques.

Eventually learning new techniques became an obsession of Tai's, and he would occasionally leave the village for weeks at a time seeking greater knowledge. One day, he returned with a visitor."

Renjiro stopped and cleared his throat, suddenly overcome with emotion, "Excuse me. It is somewhat difficult to… relive this part."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and continued:

"This visitor called himself Orochimaru, and he claimed to be a wandering shinobi with wondrous talents that he would teach the ninja of the Sound. What he did, instead, was gather those ninja of the village who had a lust for power and quietly brought them under his rule.

We were completely unsuspecting and vulnerable to the attack. When Orochimaru struck, he killed as many ninja who opposed him as possible, as well as a goodly number of the villagers – shopkeepers, women, children, innocents – and subjugated any who remained. We lost many lives. Suzu's parents…."

He turned to look at the young woman beside him, who seemed to be fighting back tears, "And Juro's sister," indicating the green haired man who had his head lowered.

"But most importantly," he turned back to Tsunade, "We lost Mochida Tai. Orochimaru has renamed himself Kage of our village, and we want revenge."

"And asylum, if I remember correctly," quoted Tsunade.

"Yes," Renjiro said quietly, "We would not seek asylum if not for… very few of us made it out of the village during Orochimaru's attack. Myself, Juro, Suzu, two other Chuunin level ninja and, the reason we ask for asylum – four children, one of them Mochida Taya, Mochida Tai's daughter."

"Children?" Tsunade was incredulous.

"Yes, children," said Renjiro, simply, "Four; between the ages of six and ten. Two boys and two girls. They are mostly untrained and defenseless. We seek asylum so that they may be protected."

"Children," Tsunade muttered, shaking her head, "You're lucky you even made it this far, but why here? Why come to Konoha?"

"Simple," Renjiro stated, gravely, "We know that Orochimaru hates you and that he wants to overtake you as well. From what we've heard, he recently attacked you, which means that we of the True Sound are probably not the only ones who want revenge."

"True," Tsunade nodded, "And I'm betting you're willing to help us by fighting on our side and feeding us information about Orochimaru and the Hidden Village of Sound. Am I right?"

"You are correct," Renjiro gave a short nod, looking Tsunade directly in the eye, "Will you help us?"

Tsunade sat back in her chair once again, brow furrowed in thought. 'This could be a ploy of Orochimaru's to lead us out into the open where he could more easily attack,' she thought, 'Or they could be telling the truth and there really could be two more ninja and a gaggle of children hiding in the woods somewhere. If there's the slightest possibility that children are in danger, I can't take any chances. All right then, but we're not going to go into this blindly.'

Tsunade leaned forward, her eyes meeting Renjiro's, "Very well then, but you're not out of the woods yet. I'll gather a squadron to retrieve the remaining members of your party, but you three will lead them to their location. You'll remain unarmed and your hands will stay tied to ensure the safety of the squadron. If there is any instance of funny business, my men will have orders to kill you. Do you understand?"

"Completely," Renjiro said, flatly.

"Good," Tsunade smiled without mirth, "We'll be moving to the conference room to discuss plans. I wish I could make you more comfortable, but under the circumstances…." She indicated the three ninja's bonds with a shrug.

"It is understandable," Renjiro responded.

"Excellent. I'm glad we understand one another."


	3. Andante

**Chapter Three: Andante**

Iruka had dismissed his class for the day and was in the process of gathering his papers when there was a knock at his classroom door. Curious, he shoved the remaining papers into his bag and moved to answer the knock, thinking that perhaps another of the instructors was interested in grabbing dinner. He was surprised when he opened the door to find a strange Chuunin standing in the hallway.

The man looked vaguely familiar to Iruka. He had seen him around the village, most often in the vicinity of the new Hokage. The man had wild, spiky black hair and seemed to have picked up the odd habit of wearing bandages wrapped around the middle of his face.

Iruka blinked in confusion, "Can I help you?"

"Umino Iruka?" asked the man.

"Yes that's me," Iruka responded still puzzled.

"You have been summoned into the presence of the Hokage," the man said seriously, or would have, had the twinkle in his eye not belied his solemnity.

"I have," Iruka squeaked, "What does she want with me?"

At that point the strange man's attempt at sobriety broke down completely and he grinned openly, "Well it wasn't you specifically. She sent me to find someone who was good with kids, and your colleagues at the academy highly recommended you."

"Oh," said Iruka, not sure how to respond to that, "Um… let me finish getting my things together and I'll be right with you."

"No problem," said the other man, leaning against the doorframe.

Once Iruka had gathered everything he thought he might need, he followed the wild haired Chuunin out of the academy and the few blocks to the building that housed the Hokage's office. Instead of leading him to the office like Iruka had been expecting, the unusual man instead led him to a conference room on the bottom floor.

Pausing in front of the door, the strange Chuunin knocked once and was greeted by a woman's entreaty to enter. Opening the door, the Jounin and Iruka stepped through.

Inside the room the Hokage was seated at a large, round conference table, as were several other ninja, Hatake Kakashi, Genma, and a man known as Asuma whom Iruka vaguely recognized, among others. The three Sound ninja from the procession earlier that morning were also seated at the table, but, Iruka noted, somewhat uncomfortably, as their hands were still bound securely behind their backs. The entire group looked up as Iruka and the strange Jounin entered, causing Iruka to flush slightly and clear his throat.

"Umino Iruka, Madam Hokage," the wild haired Chuunin said in greeting, "An instructor from the academy. He came highly recommended." With that, the strange man pulled a file folder seemingly out of nowhere and laid it on the table in front of the Hokage. Interested, Tsunade leaned forward and idly flipped through it's pages.

"These are some fairly impressive abilities for a Chuunin," she said, with a raised eyebrow, "Is there a reason you've never attempted Jounin?"

"There – there's a reason," Iruka blushed crimson.

Tsunade blinked at him through several moments of silence, "And that is?"

"Um, I'd rather not discuss it in public," Iruka stated, turning even redder, "It should be in there if you keep reading."

Tsunade dug a little deeper into the file, eyes scanning for what she sought. "Ah, I see," she said lightly, upon discovering it, "Very well then. Have a seat."

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Iruka nervously hurried to a chair and pulled it close to the table.

"Now then," Tsunade begin, "We have an interesting situation here. I'm assembling a squadron of ninja to accompany these three," she motioned to the Sound ninja, "Into the forest to retrieve the rest of their party. This is not your usual hunt and capture, however, as our… guests have requested asylum."

A slight buzz of curious conversation rippled through those who sat around the table, but Tsunade raised her hand for silence.

"They seek asylum due to the fact that they are traveling with children."

The buzz became even louder, though Tsunade did nothing this time to quiet it. "That's where you come in," she said, turning to Iruka, "If there really are children among their group they're likely to be scared and confused. We need someone who will appear trustworthy to them. Someone who is capable of comforting them. Do you think you can do that?"

Iruka nodded. Dealing with children was what he did best. It was also the thing he loved most in the world.

"Good," Tsunade smiled, "The rest of you," she indicated the other ninja seated at the table, "Will act as guards escorting the… refugees to and from the village. There is the possibility of attack by Sound ninja who may be tracking them."

She looked pointedly at the three Sound ninja seated at the table, "There is also the possibility that this may be a trap. If that happens," she continued, never taking her eyes from the three, "You may kill them."

"You are in charge," she turned to Genma, "I expect you to have complete control over your men and for them to follow your commands without question. We can't afford to lose anyone. I want you all back here safely."

Genma inclined his head to Tsunade, "Understood, Hokage."

"All right then," Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled, "You all have your orders. Off you go."


	4. Allegretto

**Chapter Four: Allegretto**

Shortly after Tsunade had dismissed them, Genma pulled the squad into some semblance of order and before Iruka knew it, they were passing the village gates into the forest.

"Which direction should we head," Genma asked the red haired Sound ninja, since he seemed to be the one in charge of the three.

"Northwest," replied Renjiro. "But I really must argue at having our hands bound. We're completely vulnerable if attacked," he grumbled, indicating the other two Sound ninja, "There are people trying to kill us, you know."

"And there are people trying to kill us too," responded Kakashi, lazily, "The Hokage said no weapons and tied hands, so that's the way it's going to be."

"This is so ridiculous," Suzu hissed to Juro, "They kept us waiting so long that Orochimaru's trackers are bound to have caught up with us by now. We're going to die if we stay like this."

Overhearing the female Sound ninja's complaint, Iruka spoke up, "I don't think untying their hands is necessarily a good idea, but I volunteer to defend them if we are attacked."

The other Konoha ninja looked at him curiously and Genma raised and eyebrow, "Sure Iruka, if you're volunteering…."

Iruka inclined his head. "I will. They do kind of have a point – but we can't go against the Hokage's orders," he added quickly.

Genma just nodded, nonplussed, and motioned for the rest of the squad to move out, with Iruka and the three Sound ninja in the middle. The group traveled in silence for the most part, broken by the occasional direction from Renjiro, when the Anbu scout at the front of the group suddenly paused. Cursing under his breath, Genma moved quickly to his side.

"What is it?" Genma murmured.

The scout shook his head in confusion, "Do you hear… bells?"

"Everybody down!" shouted Renjiro, shortly before the forest exploded in a hail of belled needles.

The Konoha ninja leaped into action, leaving Iruka and the three captive Sound ninja exactly where they stood, alone in the center of the forest.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Renjiro cursed, ducking as needles and shuriken flew past him and swiftly moving ninja darted in and out of the corners of his vision. Biting back a growl he dropped to his knees and closed his eyes in concentration. A few seconds later a blue glow emanated from his bound hands and with a sudden stab of chakra the ropes binding his wrists snapped and snaked away. His hands freed, and glowing brightly with what appeared to be spikes or lances of chakra, Renjiro leapt into the fray, leaving Suzu and Juro alone with the schoolteacher as their only protection.

"Nice job thinking of us," Juro snapped sarcastically at Renjiro's retreating form and ducking as another needle went sailing past his ear.

"Get behind me," Iruka said, "I think I can hold them off for a little while at least."

"Gods I hope so," Suzu said, dropping back and slightly behind Iruka, "We're like sitting ducks as it is."

Iruka didn't respond, but instead planted his feet and ran through a series of rapid seals. A swirling blue glow began to seep from his clasped hands, eventually curving back over the top of his head and those of the two Sound ninja behind him to create a swirling, protective dome of chakra.

"Nice technique," Suzu muttered, watching various missile weapons bounce harmlessly off the surface of the dome.

"Shhh," Juro whispered, glancing from Suzu to Iruka, "He probably needs to concentrate to maintain it. Don't distract him."

Suzu nodded in response and she and Juro remained still and silent, praying Iruka could keep the dome going long enough for the rest of the Konoha ninja to make it back to them. The sounds of battle echoed all around them, and out of the corner of her eye, Suzu occasionally caught glimpses of ninja clashing and glancing away.

Eventually the sounds of battle died completely and the forest was silent and still. Suzu glanced at Juro wide eyed, but he just shook his head. All of a sudden, the form of a Sound tracker leapt from the darkness of the forest, daggers drawn to plunge into Juro. Juro flinched away from the oncoming attack, but the Sound tracker glanced off the swirl of the chakra dome and ricocheted against a tree. He was then impaled by a throwing dagger, and sputtered for a moment before dying.

Asuma appeared and pulled his knife from the cooling body of the Sound tracker. Suddenly the rest of the Konoha ninja began reappearing, leaping down to Iruka and the two remaining Sound from every direction. Juro nudged Iruka, who opened his eyes and let the chakra dome drop, looking weary, then stumbled and almost fell. Suzu and Juro stood up suddenly, shoving their shoulders under Iruka's arms, supporting him.

"Where's your leader?" Genma growled, noticing that the red haired Jounin was missing.

"We don't know," Juro said, "He leapt off into the battle. That was the last we saw of him."

"That was definitely an ambush," Asuma said, cleaning the blood off his knife, "But it looked like the attackers really were trying to kill them."

"That's what we've been trying to tell you," Suzu snapped, exasperated, "We're really not the bad guys. We told you that there was an extremely good possibility that we'd be attacked, and we were."

"If you're 'not the bad guys' where's your leader and how did his hands get untied," Genma snarled.

"Did it… himself," Iruka murmured weakly, "Saw him. Some sort of technique."

"It's called a 'spirit blade'," Suzu said, with a sigh, "Renjiro invented it. He's the only one who knows how to do it properly. He focuses chakra into his hands and forms them into thin blades capable of cutting through almost anything. It's an incredibly useful technique."

"And one you'll be able to do soon enough, Suzu," Renjiro said, stepping out of the underbrush, hands raised in surrender, "I apologize, but I couldn't just stand there helpless when I knew the children were nearby."

"The children," Genma said, wryly.

Renjiro nodded, then gestured behind him, motioning to the underbrush from which he'd emerged. Suddenly a small, dark head poked through, and a tiny girl of about six, with big brown eyes, stepped into the clearing. She was followed by a slightly older boy with dark blond hair and worried hazel eyes, another girl of about eight with striking snow-white hair and light green eyes. A ten-year-old boy with dark hair and eyes, and wearing a serious expression, brought up the rear.

Right behind the children were two adults, the first, a woman with a long tangle of dark hair and shining black eyes, dressed in a loose fitting red shirt with wide sleeves, and an equally loose fitting pair of red pants that tied at the waist. She wore a Sound forehead protector beneath her hair and seemed to be sporting black fingerless gloves with metal plates, similar to Kakashi's.

The second adult was a young man of no more than nineteen, with straight black hair that hung in his eyes, fair skin and small, rectangular glasses. He was dressed all in loose black and he too sported a Sound forehead protector, as well as several messenger bags. He looked around at those assembled gravely, as if he couldn't quite believe what he saw.

"This is the rest of our party," Renjiro said to Genma, simply, "We'd like to get them back to the village as soon as possible, since it's starting to get dark."

Genma nodded, frowning, "I guess you were telling the truth after all. But what bothers me is that you could've gotten out of your bonds at any time."

"But I didn't," Renjiro said, blandly, "And I had the perfect opportunity for attack on a number of occasions."

"Well there's no point in tying you up again," Genma looked slightly annoyed, "If you can just cut through the ropes whenever you want."

"Then can we please be untied," Suzu pleaded, indicating Juro and herself, "You can't believe we're a danger to you now."

"That remains to be seen," Kakashi responded, leaning against a tree, "But it does seem silly to keep you tied up when the rest of your party is free. What do you think, Genma?"

"I agree," Genma said, "If only to make her stop whining."

Suzu glared daggers at him, but Genma only waved to signal the two nearest ninja to cut her and Juro's bonds. Iruka managed to regain his balance somewhat and steadied himself against a tree while Kakashi and one of the Anbu members did the honors.

"There you go, pretty lady," Kakashi stated, his one visible eye crinkling in a smile when he was done.

Suzu just shook her head and rubbed her extremely sore wrists, obviously in a sour mood.

Juro, on the other hand gave a great stretch and sighed with contentment, "Man I never thought being untied could feel so good."

"And on that note," the dark haired woman said, shaking her head, "I'm Nishio Eriko. We thank you for coming to our aid and offering us hospitality" she continued, smiling at Genma.

"No problem," Genma said, with a shrug, "But your red haired friend is right, we probably should get moving if we're going to get back to the village before dark."

"I'm afraid of the dark," one of the little girls, the dark haired one, piped up.

"Don't worry sweetheart," Iruka said, moving somewhat shakily forward and coming to crouch in front of her, "There's nothing in the dark that we can't protect you from."

He smiled warmly at the little girl, who giggled in response; "You have funny hair."

Iruka looked puzzled for a moment, then reached up to feel his spiky ponytail. "Yeah, I guess I do," he laughed.

"That's okay, I like you anyway," the little girl said sweetly, still giggling.

"I like you too," said Iruka, "I'm Umino Iruka-sensei. What's your name?"

"Mochida Taya," responded the little girl, smiling and twisting from side to side.

"Well Taya, how would you like a piggyback ride?"

"Yes!" Taya squealed happily.

"Are you sure you're up to that?" Suzu asked Iruka, looking concerned at his weakened state.

"I'll be fine," Iruka shrugged dismissively, "Besides," he murmured, "I have a job to do." As he said that, he bent down lower so Taya could climb onto his shoulders, then very carefully stood up.

"I want a piggyback ride too," the blond haired boy pouted.

"All right, climb aboard, Minoru," said Juro with a grin, lowering himself so the little boy could climb on.

"Let's move out," said Genma.

As the group set out for Konoha once more, Juro kept in stride with Iruka and clapped a hand onto the schoolteacher's shoulder in companionship, "That was some pretty impressive chakra control back there. Thanks for saving our butts."

"It was no problem, really," Iruka said, humbly.

"No really, we would've been sashimi if it wasn't for you," Juro grinned, "I owe you a drink, my man."

"Thanks," responded Iruka, "I'll be sure to collect at some point."


	5. Allegro

**Chapter Five: Allegro**

Upon reaching Konoha, the refugees were brought before the 5th Hokage once more. After hearing Genma and the rest of the squad's report, Tsunade motioned the five Sound ninja into the conference room, leaving Iruka in the hallway to care for the children.

"So I know your name is Taya," he said to the little girl he had just let down from his shoulders. "And your name is… Minoru?" he asked the blond boy that the green haired man had been carrying.

"Yes," said Minoru, shyly, with lowered eyes.

"And what are your names?" Iruka asked turning to the other two children.

"Nohara Mitsu," said the white haired girl cheerfully.

"Serizawa Toshiro," responded the dark haired boy, looking as serious as ever.

"Well it's nice to meet all of you," Iruka said, with a smile, "It looks like you're going to be with us for a little while, so we're going to find you a nice place to stay and we'll see about getting you some toys and clothes and things. Then, of course, you'll have to be enrolled in school…."

"Do we have to?" said Mitsu, with a pout.

"I'm afraid so, but I'll be there, so at least you'll see a familiar face," said Iruka.

"It's okay if you'll be there," Mitsu replied, with a huge smile.

Just then, the door to the conference room where Tsunade and the Sound ninja had been talking opened and its occupants filed into the hall.

"Oh, isn't that cute," said Eriko, aside to Suzu, "It looks as if Mitsu has a crush on the schoolteacher."

'Can't say I blame her,' Suzu thought to herself, watching Iruka with interest, 'Can anyone really be that nice? And if he's capable of controlling such a large amount of chakra, why is he still a Chuunin?'

Suzu continued to study Iruka, intrigued, but her musings were soon interrupted by Renjiro's polite cough.

"It might be best," the red haired Jounin began, "If we all get washed up before the ceremony."

"There's going to be a ceremony," Iruka said with surprise, looking up from where he was crouched, talking to the children.

"It's mainly to let the rest of the Konoha ninja know we'll be staying," responded Eriko.

"You know, 'hi, we're here, please don't kill us'," quipped Juro.

Iruka nodded, "I suppose that makes sense."

"Well, we'd better get moving," Suzu said, stepping forward and taking Mitsu's hand, "I'm sure we'll see you there… Iruka, was it?"

"Yes, I suppose you will, miss…?"

"Suzu," the blonde Sound ninja responded. "And thank you again for helping protect Juro and I," she continued, throwing a smile over her shoulder, as she began moving away with the rest of the Sound refugees.

Iruka only nodded again, and watched as she and her companions retreated down the hallway.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Iruka found himself waiting with the rest of the Konoha ninja in front of the steps to the Hokage's office. Tsunade had summoned every available ninja in the village that wasn't currently involved in a mission, incapacitated, or on patrol, so Iruka wondered exactly what the new Hokage had up her sleeve. It seemed to be an unusually large crowd for a welcoming ceremony.

"Iruka-sensei!" Suddenly Iruka was tackled by a flying orange, yellow and blue blur that quickly attached itself to his waist.

Looking down, Iruka grinned openly, "Hello Naruto. How have you been?"

"Great, sensei," Naruto released him and stepped back, smiling broadly, "Kakashi-sensei says I may get to go on another mission soon. I can't wait!"

"I imagine you're pretty excited," Iruka responded, "You know, I went on my first mission in a very long time today."

"Really," crowed Naruto, eyes shining, "I bet you were really cool, Iruka-sensei! I bet you did a really good job."

"I didn't do too badly, now that you mention it," Iruka said, thoughtfully, but was interrupted by the sudden emergence of the Hokage.

The assembled crowd went silent as Tsunade took her place on the steps and cleared her throat before addressing the ninja of Konoha, "As some of you may know through rumor and secondhand knowledge, there are several Sound ninja present in Konoha. These ninja are seeking asylum and are currently here as our guests."

The crowd grumbled in curiosity and a bit of trepidation.

"I will now tell you the same tale that was told to me upon their arrival," Tsunade continued, and then recounted everything Renjiro had told her earlier. "Upon investigation, we found that the initial three refugees' story was true and conducted the remaining members of their party back to Konoha. There are five ninja and four children and they will be remaining in Konoha for an indefinite amount of time, while aiding us with our plans to combat Orochimaru and his forces. I want you to welcome these refugees as if they were members of our own village and learn their names and faces to better assist them in assisting us."

Tsunade turned toward the door behind her, with an amused and expectant look on her face, "Miho Renjiro."

Renjiro stepped out from behind the door and made his way to where Tsunade stood, looking composed and impassive. Iruka noted that his weapons had been returned to him, but that he was no longer wearing his Sound forehead protector.

"Terada Juro."

The green haired man came next, wearing an uncharacteristically sober expression, though his dark eyes sparkled with amusement. He too was carrying weapons and also not wearing his forehead protector.

"Arai Suzu."

The blonde Sound ninja emerged from behind the door and came to stand next to the other two. Her forehead protector was also gone, but she'd regained her own weapons; two wicked looking daggers with unusual holes in the blades, which were sheathed at each thigh.

'Those look particularly nasty,' Iruka thought, eyeing the daggers, 'what a fierce weapon for someone so delicately pretty,' he added, raising his eyes to study Suzu's staid expression.

"Nishio Eriko."

The dark haired woman slipped from behind the door and took her place next to Suzu. Her forehead protector was also missing.

"And Jo Keiji," Tsunade concluded, as the bespectacled young man joined the rest of his companions, his own forehead protector also absent.

"These five have been given permission to continue training so that they may be of greater aid when the time comes to battle the Sound. The children are not present because we thought they had been through enough of an ordeal already and didn't want to unnerve them. They will be enrolled in Konoha's ninja academy tomorrow morning."

Iruka made a note of that, thinking he might want to get to work early the next morning to help ease the children's transition.

"We ask that you grant our guests the hospitality they deserve," Tsunade continued, "The information they can offer us is invaluable in determining the Sound's weaknesses."

With that parting statement, the 5th Hokage dismissed the ninja assembled and turned to make her way back inside.

"Iruka-sensei," said Naruto, with a curious expression on his face, "Do you think they're spies?"

"That's a possibility, Naruto," Iruka said, thoughtfully, studying the Sound ninja, who were milling about on the steps, not quite sure what to do with themselves until Tsunade pointed them in a particular direction.

'I really don't think they are, though,' Iruka thought to himself, 'Maybe it's the children, but my gut says they're telling the truth.'

"The 5th Hokage suspects they're spies," came a third voice from behind Iruka and he and Naruto turned as one to see Hatake Kakashi.

"That's why she wanted everyone to recognize them," Kakashi continued, "So that they can be watched constantly for any suspicious activity."

"That makes sense," Naruto nodded, "I'll do my best to keep an eye on them too."

"Everyone will," said Kakashi, "Konoha looks after its own."

Iruka only nodded in response, continuing to study the refugee Sound ninja thoughtfully.

* * *

The next morning, Iruka rose early and made his way to the academy in expectation of extra work. Upon arriving, he found his instincts were correct, when there was a memo calling for a faculty meeting waiting for him on his desk. Crumpling the paper in his hand, Iruka left his classroom to make his way to the faculty lounge. Upon entering, he noticed that quite a few of the other teachers had shown up early as well. Taking a seat, Iruka leaned back in his chair and waited for the faculty meeting to begin.

It went fairly quickly once all the academy's teachers had arrived. The integration of the Sound children was discussed thoroughly and each child was assigned to a particular teacher's class. Iruka himself was assigned Mochida Taya, which pleased him for some reason. He was glad he'd gone on the mission to retrieve the children and already had a good rapport with her.

Iruka's good mood was crushed, however, when the senior instructor at the school brought up the possibility that the children were spies.

"I know it's a prospect we do not want to accept," stated the senior instructor, "But it's one we can't ignore. We know Orochimaru is ruthless, so there is nothing that says he won't use children to do his dirty work. Treat them as you would your other students, but keep a close watch on them. If there is any suspicious activity, report it directly to me and I will bring it to the attention of the Hokage personally."

After that, the faculty meeting was concluded and Iruka left the lounge to return to his classroom. A few students had already arrived when he walked through the door, and Iruka greeted them cheerfully. Still, the fact that some of his colleagues believed that the Sound children might actually be spies weighed heavily upon his mind. Iruka just couldn't believe it.

As if on cue, at that moment Arai Suzu and Mochida Taya walked through the door.

"Iruka-sensei," Taya said happily, bounding up to him to give him a hug.

"Good morning Taya," Iruka said, hugging her back, "Did you have a good first night in Konoha?"

"Oh yes," Taya said happily, "Pretty lady Hokage found some really nice rooms for us and we even got new clothes and toys."

"Nice rooms?" said Iruka, trying to determine where Tsunade had found a place large enough to hold five adults and four children on such short notice.

"Hotel," mouthed Suzu over Taya's head, grinning.

Iruka nodded in understanding then turned his attention back to Taya, "Some of your other classmates have already arrived. Would you like to meet them?"

Taya suddenly turned shy, nodding once and glancing around the room nervously.

"Hey, Moegi," Iruka called, waving over the rambunctious red haired girl.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei," said Moegi, trotting over.

"This is Taya," he said, introducing the two little girls to one another, "Taya, this is Moegi."

"H-Hello," Taya said softly.

"Hi," Moegi squealed, "You're new aren't you? Hey, I just got some new colored pencils. Wanna see?"

"Okay," Taya smiled, relaxing, and she and Moegi ran off to examine the contents of Moegi's pencil box.

"Well, that was fairly painless," said Suzu, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, she looks like she's going to be just fine here," responded Iruka, turning back to the blonde Sound ninja.

"Taya's pretty resilient. I was hoping she'd be easy, especially after the episode with Minoru this morning," Suzu shook her head.

"That bad?" Iruka asked, sympathetically.

"He was terrified. He clung to my leg so tightly I almost needed a crowbar to pry him off."

"A new school can be a frightening prospect for young children," Iruka said, letting his gaze drift over his quickly filling classroom.

"And Minoru is so shy anyway," Suzu sighed, "He seemed to settle down, fortunately."

"That's good," Iruka nodded, "So how are you and your companions handling getting the children to and from school?"

"We take turns," Suzu said, "Each day one of us will drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon."

"I see, and you got first day honors?"

"We drew straws," said Suzu, blushing, "I lost."

"I see," said Iruka, laughing, "Well, I probably need to start class now, but it was nice talking with you again, Suzu."

"It was nice talking with you too," Suzu said, with another smile, "See you this afternoon, Iruka."

Iruka waved goodbye to her and then turned to address his class.


	6. Presto

**Chapter Six: Presto**

"Try it again," Renjiro said, matter-of-factly as Suzu once again failed at maintaining chakra control in her hands.

Sweating with exertion, Suzu took a deep breath and took up her stance once again. Pressing her palms together in front of her, fingers pointed upward, Suzu closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel the chakra swirling throughout her system and pooling where her palms connected. If she could just maintain control, she would be able to extend the chakra outward, past the surface of her skin, and create a 'gauntlet' of spirit energy.

Just as she felt chakra creep past her fingertips, Suzu lost control, almost swooning in the process, and Renjiro wrapped his arm around her, stopping her from slumping to the ground.

"I think that's enough for today, Suzu."

Suzu nodded gratefully and shakily made her way to the fence where the rest of her companions were sitting.

"Good job, little sis," said Juro, giving her a thumbs up.

"Yeah, you could actually see the chakra this time," nodded Eriko, with a warm smile.

"Thanks," said Suzu, a bit breathlessly, sitting down. They had been training in Konoha for a couple of days now and Suzu had been doing anything but progressing. Maybe it was the strangeness of a new place, but she'd been having difficulty concentrating and it was showing in her lack of advancement. Suzu sighed again and glanced over at Renjiro, who had summoned Keiji from the fence and was drilling him in hand to hand combat.

"I feel like I'm not getting anywhere," she said to her companions, as she watched Keiji run through the drills with remarkable precision, if not power.

"Tell me about it," said Juro, "We've all got a lot on our minds. Too many recent memories haunting us to focus on the tasks at hand."

Eriko nodded in agreement, "It's hard for all of us sometimes, Suzu, but we'll progress eventually. We have to if we're ever going to avenge our loved ones."

Suzu nodded absently, thinking of her parents' kind and loving faces. Before she knew it, her eyes were filling with tears.

"Oh, don't start crying," said Eriko with a half-hearted laugh, her own eyes sparkling, "I'll start crying too." She leaned over and gave the blonde ninja a tight hug, "I know it's hard, sweetheart, but we have to go on. They'd want us to go on."

Suzu sniffled, nodding again, when she noticed that Renjiro and Keiji had stopped drilling. Renjiro appeared suddenly in front of her, looking deeply concerned, "Suzu, are you all right?"

Suzu pulled away from Eriko and wiped her eyes, "I'll be fine Renjiro. I'm sorry."

"Would you like to talk?" asked Renjiro, kindly. "You know I'm always here if you need me, Suzu."

"No, it's okay, really," Suzu responded, somewhat embarrassed. It always bothered her a little when Renjiro paid her so much attention, though she really couldn't help it. He just seemed… overly fond of her, especially lately.

"I'm here if you need me," Renjiro repeated, and Suzu nodded in affirmation.

"Well," Renjiro said, not certain if he should go on, "There's a matter I wanted to discuss with all of you at some point, and now seems as good a time as any."

"What's that?" asked Juro, curiously.

"I'm sure you've all noticed that the Konoha ninja and the Hokage don't trust us entirely," Renjiro began, leaning against a fencepost, "And I can't say I blame them. I certainly would do the same if I were in their position. However, it makes our working with them exceedingly difficult. They can't count on us, and we won't be able to count on them. So what I'm looking for are suggestions on how to gain the trust of the Konoha ninja. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"One," said Juro, almost automatically, which made Suzu think he'd been considering it for some time.

"You remember I promised the schoolteacher I'd buy him a drink? Well, what if we invited several of the Konoha ninja out for drinks. You know, have a good time, shoot the shit, bond or something," Juro shrugged, "That is, if they'd accept."

"That's not a half bad idea, Juro," said Renjiro, thoughtfully, "Although someone would have to bow out to stay with the children."

"Oh, I can do that," said Eriko, sincerely, "It's no trouble, really."

"No, no, you need a night off, Eriko," Renjiro shook his head, "I volunteer to stay with the children in your stead. Besides, the Konoha ninja wouldn't want to hang out with an old dog like myself." He grinned suddenly.

"Yeah, thirty-five is real old, sensei," said Juro, rolling his eyes, "Anyway, you want me to start asking around and see if anyone's interested?"

"Yes," Renjiro nodded, "I think that's an excellent idea."

* * *

"Yo, Iruka!"

"Um, yo," Iruka looked up from the papers he'd been grading to find a handsome, green-haired Chuunin standing next to his desk, "Oh, hello Juro. Come to pick up Taya?"

"That and I had a question for you," Juro responded, with a quick nod.

"Okay," said Iruka, "Shoot."

"Remember when I said I owed you a drink?"

"Yes," said Iruka, "I remember."

"Well, how would you like to collect tonight?" Juro replied.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, we and some of the other Konoha ninja are meeting at Galen's for drinks," Juro continued, "Kind of a get-to-know-you party. We'd like it if you could come."

"Tonight," Iruka repeated, "I don't know." He did have a lot of papers to grade.

"Come on, it's Friday," said Juro, wheedling, "You have permission to stay out late." He grinned at Iruka imploringly.

"Oh, all right, why not," Iruka gave in, "What time is everyone going to be there?"

"Around eight," responded Juro, "Glad you decided to join us, man. We look forward to seeing you."

"No problem," said Iruka. It's not like he really had anything better to do.

* * *

"Yo, Iruka," shouted Juro, the moment Iruka walked in the door.

Iruka gingerly made his way to where Juro was waving at him, trying not to disturb anyone in the process. Galen's was packed and dead in the center of it was a large table containing several Konoha ninja, as well as all of the Sound ninja, minus the red haired Jounin. Finding a chair, Iruka sat down and glanced around the table to see who else had come.

To his right was Hatake Kakashi. Not much of a surprise, all things considered, though Iruka was surprised he'd actually arrived before him. From what his former students told him, Kakashi was almost always late.

To Kakashi's right was Asuma, chatting it up with Kurenai. At the head of the table was Maitoh Gai, who seemed to be in the middle of one of his long, overly dramatic recountings of his exploits. Next to Gai and across from Kurenai sat Anko, who already seemed to be deep in her cups. To Anko's right was a guy that Iruka didn't know very well, but who he thought was named Aoba.

The Sound ninja sat to Aoba's right, starting with Juro, who occasionally leaned over the other man to flirt shamelessly with Anko. Next to Juro and across from Iruka sat Suzu, who smiled at him as he took his seat. Eriko sat to Suzu's right, and she too smiled in greeting when Iruka arrived. At the end of the table was an empty chair, and to Iruka's left sat the final Sound ninja, Keiji.

"Are we expecting someone else?" Iruka asked, practically having to shout over the din and motioning to the empty chair.

"Renjiro-sensei won't be joining us tonight. We also invited Genma, but he's on a mission, so this is it," Suzu responded. "How was your class today, Iruka?"

"Not bad," Iruka said, "Though they didn't do as well on their exams as I'd hoped."

Suzu nodded and continued listening as Iruka proceeded to tell several amusing stories about his class.

"Sounds like you have your hands full," said Keiji, and Iruka realized this was the first time he'd ever heard the young man speak.

"I do, but I love it," Iruka responded. "You're Keiji, right?"

"Yeah. I haven't had my chance to walk the kids to and from school yet," Keiji giggled, an Iruka realized that he was almost as far-gone as Anko.

Iruka also noticed that Suzu and Eriko kept looking at Keiji and breaking down into giggles themselves, so he became insanely curious as to what was up.

"I give," he finally said, "What's so funny?"

Suzu motioned for Iruka to lean across the table while Eriko distracted Keiji with conversation. "It's Keiji," she said, her mouth less than an inch from Iruka's ear, causing him to shiver slightly, "I guess it's funnier if you know him better, but he's normally very quiet and serious. Gregarious, silly Keiji is vastly entertaining." With that she sat back, grinning.

"Oh," was all Iruka could say, looking at Keiji once again.

As the night wore on, the crowd at Galen's began to thin, and conversation eventually subsided to normal speaking levels. Iruka didn't drink much, which was normal for him, but he noticed that quite a few of the others were putting it away like pros. Anko especially seemed ready collapse at any moment and take the whole table down with her. Eventually she laid her head on the table, said she was sleepy, and promptly passed out.

"Is she going to be okay," Iruka asked, looking at Anko, concerned.

"She'll be fine," said Aoba, "She does this all the time, actually. I can't count the number of times I've had to carry her home from various bars. She'll sleep it off and be good as new in the morning."

Iruka nodded, "Guess you'll be taking her home tonight, then."

"Yeah," said Aoba, "Speaking of which, we should probably get going." With that, he pulled some money out of his pocket to pay his and Anko's bill and, hoisting her unceremoniously over his shoulder, he stood and carried her out of the bar.

"Bed sounds like a good idea," said Eriko, yawning, and Kakashi said he had to agree. Pulling out money for what they each owed on the tab, they said their goodnights and left separately.

"Looks like the party's winding down," said Suzu, just as Kurenai excused herself and Asuma rose to walk her home.

"Whadda ya mean it's windin' down," said Keiji, three sheets to the wind, "I'm juss getting started." And with that, he promptly passed out.

Juro just shook his head, looking at Keiji in fondness and amusement, "I guess someone should carry Keiji back to the hotel."

Juro pulled out his wallet and paid for both his and Keiji's portion of the tab, as well as one of Iruka's drinks, before draping the young man's arm over his shoulder and slowly walking him out of the bar.

"It looks like it's just us left," said Suzu, indicating herself, Iruka and Gai.

"Looks that way," said Iruka in response, watching Gai chat it up with a pretty waitress, "Though it may be time for me to head home soon as well."

"I agree," said Suzu, pulling out some money and throwing it on the table, "I should probably try to catch up with Juro and Keiji."

She stood and started to make her way to the door before Iruka realized she was more than a little tipsy herself. As Suzu neared the exit, she stumbled and very nearly fell. Iruka was up and across the room in a flash, his arm around her waist, supporting her.

"C'mon Iruka, I want to go outside," Suzu said, half-dragging him, "I could use some fresh air."

Once outside, Suzu stumbled a few steps and clasped Iruka tighter, trying not to fall. "I'm sorry," she said a little breathlessly, "Generally I don't get like this. I think I lost myself a little tonight." She smiled disarmingly at Iruka.

"It's all right Suzu," said Iruka, "I won't hold it against you."

"You're sweet, you know," said Suzu, looking at Iruka seriously. The next thing he knew, she had grabbed his collar and was pulling him down into a passionate kiss.

Part of Iruka argued that he should pull away. That he was taking advantage of her in her intoxicated state. Another more vocal part, however—a part that hadn't kissed anyone in quite a while—was screaming 'go for it, go for it' at the top of its lungs.

Iruka gave in to the more vocal part. It was only a kiss, after all.

After a few very intensely heated moments, Suzu pulled away, breaking off the kiss. Part of Iruka was disappointed, but was immediately reassured when she leaned forward and purred, "Walk me home Iruka," right next to his ear.

"S-Sure," Iruka said quickly, "Just let me—I have to pay my part of the check. I'll be right back."

He untangled himself from Suzu's embrace and headed back toward the door, only to stop suddenly, kiss her swiftly again and make her promise she wouldn't move a muscle until he got back.

"I won't, Iruka, I promise," she laughed.

Iruka hurried back inside to pay his portion of the bill. Once inside he found Gai still deep in conversation with the waitress and it took a few moments to get either of their attention. Once that was accomplished, however, Iruka left enough money to pay for his few drinks, grabbed his vest, which he'd left slung over the back of the chair, and rushed toward the door.

Emerging into the cool night air once again, he was startled when he noticed Suzu was not where he'd left her. Looking around wildly, he soon caught sight of her and Juro just across the street. Juro was supporting her and waved cheerfully to Iruka when he emerged, "Thought it might be a good idea to come back for Suzu once I got Keiji back to the hotel. Good thing I did. Little sis definitely needs someone to walk her home."

"Yeah, glad to see she's in good hands," Iruka was slightly confused about the 'little sis' and was more than a little disappointed that Juro had inadvertently stolen his thunder. He tried to be a good sport about it though.

"Bye Iruka," said Suzu, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "I had a really good time tonight."

"So did I Suzu," said Iruka, honestly, trying to hide his disappointment, "You get a good night's sleep."

"You too," he added to Juro, almost as an afterthought.

"Will do, good sir," Juro grinned, "See you around."

"See you later," said Iruka.

"Later," said Juro, and with a wave he led Suzu off toward wherever it was they were staying.

Once they had gone, Iruka gave a deep sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets. 'Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.'

With that final though, Iruka turned and headed home alone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Juro and Suzu had almost made it back to the hotel.

"So what was that about," asked Juro, amused, referring to the kiss he'd seen Suzu steal.

"Just a kiss," Suzu responded, but she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Uh huh. Right," Juro chuckled.

"Juro, I really like him," Suzu confessed, unabashedly and sporadically.

"I can tell, little sis. You were all over him."

"Was I really that bad," Suzu asked, suddenly concerned.

"Don't worry," said Juro, "I'm sure he didn't mind." And with that, he half-carried Suzu through the hotel doors, leaving the street silent and empty behind them.


	7. Staccato

**Chapter Seven: Staccato**

Iruka woke the next morning to find an envelope from the Hokage shoved under his front door. Yawning, he dropped it on his kitchen table and left it there while preparing breakfast. He knew it wasn't an emergency, since someone would've woken him up if it had been. He did wonder about the envelope's contents, but his growling stomach was a more pressing need.

Once he was done cooking, Iruka broke open the envelope and read the note inside while chewing thoughtfully. It was another summons, asking him to come by the Hokage's office at some point during the day. Once breakfast was eaten, the kitchen cleaned, and Iruka showered and shaved, he dressed in his everyday clothes and left his apartment to see the Hokage.

Upon reaching the Hokage's office, Iruka realized he hadn't been the only one summoned, as a rather hung-over Anko sat waiting outside. Iruka took the chair next to her and inquired how she was feeling.

"Like a herd of horses have been stampeding in my head," Anko grumbled. "Do you have any idea what this is about?" she continued, gesturing toward the Hokage's closed door.

"Not a clue," Iruka said, truthfully, though he had a sneaking suspicion that last night's revels had something to do with it.

Just then the Hokage's door opened and Shizune poked her head out. "Oh, hello," she said cheerfully to Iruka, "Tsunade-sama will see you just as soon as she's done with Anko."

Iruka simply nodded and noted with interest as Maitoh Gai stepped out of the office behind Shizune. Shizune motioned for Anko to enter, and closed the door behind them when she did.

Iruka eyed Gai, who eyed him back. "How did it go with the waitress last night?" Iruka finally asked, in lieu of anything else to say.

"Incredibly well," Gai grinned broadly, giving Iruka a thumbs-up. "We have a date for later tonight."

"Congratulations," Iruka said honestly, a little surprised. He didn't understand what the waitress saw in the very strange man before him, but she'd seemed awfully enthralled the night before.

"And how did it go for you and that pretty little blonde," Gai grinned even wider, eyes gleaming with curiosity, "She seemed exceptionally fond of you last night."

Iruka flushed unconsciously and lowered his eyes. "Nothing much happened," he said, "I just wanted to make sure she got home safely."

"I see," said Gai, thick eyebrows raised in curiosity. Fortunately, Shizune's re-emergence interrupted any further questioning the Jounin had planned to inflict upon Iruka.

"The Hokage will see you now," Shizune said, smiling at Iruka. From behind her, Anko shuffled out of the office, hand pressed against one temple, looking as if she had the worst headache in history.

Iruka rose, somewhat nervously, and followed Shizune into Tsunade's office. Shizune shut the door behind them and motioned for Iruka to take a seat in front of Tsunade's desk. The Hokage herself was seated behind her desk, a writing ledger, inkwell and brushes in front of her.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama," Iruka said, clearing his throat.

"Good morning," Tsunade responded, with a half-smile. "You're probably wondering why I called you here?"

"I assumed it had something to do with the outing with the Sound refugees last night," Iruka stated, "Since Gai and Anko were also here."

"You're very clever," Tsunade said with a smile, "And also correct. What I'm doing is gathering information. Alcohol has a tendency to loosen tongues and I was curious if any of the Sound ninja let anything slip last night."

At the mention of 'tongue' and 'slip', Iruka could feel a blush rising again, but he did his best to fight it down. "There's nothing I can think of, Hokage-sama," he said, honestly, "They didn't seem to be hiding anything as far as I could tell."

Tsunade nodded, "You can't think of anything at all suspicious?"

"The Jounin in their group was missing, that was about it," Iruka said, with a shrug. "Although he could've been watching the children."

"I see," said Tsunade, clearly not satisfied. Leaning back in her chair, she sighed, "That's pretty much what the others have told me as well. I was hoping that someone would've discovered something more substantial. The most I've gotten was personal information about a few of the Sound ninja, which doesn't help us at all."

"Personal information?" Iruka was suddenly curious.

"Oh this and that," Tsunade shrugged, "The dark haired woman had a husband who she says was killed by Orochimaru. The youngest male's fiancée was also killed. The children were found in a school. The oldest boy was an orphan before the attack. Things that, although interesting, aren't remotely helpful in determining whether they're really on our side or not."

Iruka nodded, "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"That's all right," Tsunade waved dismissively, "I wasn't expecting much. I may have to devise some sort of plan to discover more information about them. In the meantime, just keep doing what you've been doing and we'll hope for the best."

"I understand, Hokage-sama," replied Iruka. "Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Tsunade said, "You're free to go."

"Thank you," Iruka said, rising and making his way to the door, "I'll try to keep you informed on any future developments."

Tsunade just nodded as Shizune showed him out.

Making his way back to his apartment, Iruka turned things over and over in his head. His gut said that the Sound refugees weren't spies, but he had to admit that it wasn't impossible. It worried him slightly, in fact, especially since the pretty blonde ninja had been so… affectionate.

It wasn't that women didn't find him attractive. Iruka had gone on a number of dates, but none of them seemed to pan out into anything more. He had a problem letting people get close to him, perhaps because he'd been alone for the majority of his life. The distance he put between them, though it wasn't something he was doing consciously, put off most of the women he'd attempted to date. Or they found him too boring, as compared to other shinobi.

When you could have a dashing guy who was out on dangerous and exciting missions every night of the week, why would you want a dull schoolteacher who wiped snotty noses all day, Iruka mused. Even the women who found him attractive never seemed as quite as enthusiastic as Suzu had been the night before.

Iruka shook his head. No, he couldn't believe Suzu was up to something. It just didn't seem to be in her nature. She was too blunt, too straightforward. 'And maybe', he admitted, 'it was the alcohol in her system and not her acting upon any particular attraction last night.' Maybe he had simply been in the right place at the right time.

At that thought, Iruka flushed unconsciously. 'How embarrassing,' he thought, 'I bet she was mortified when she realized what happened after the fact. Maybe I should just pretend that nothing actually happened and leave the ball in her court?'

Nodding in response to his thoughts, Iruka climbed the stairs to his apartment and let himself inside.

* * *

The next morning, Iruka glanced up in anticipation every time the door to his classroom opened. He wanted to pretend that he wasn't looking for Suzu, but he'd be lying to himself if he did. He was dying to know if she'd really been attracted to him, or if it had just been the alcohol talking. He rather hoped it was the former, instead of the latter.

Thus he was somewhat disappointed when it was Keiji, not Suzu who entered with Taya a few moments later. 'That's right,' he remembered, 'Keiji's the only one who hasn't brought the children by yet, so it's finally his turn.'

As Taya joined her classmates, Keiji barely said a word to Iruka, and his grave and quiet demeanor seemed to have returned in force. He didn't even say goodbye before leaving the classroom, which irked Iruka somewhat.

'Well,' Iruka thought, 'if Keiji's the last of the five to bring the children to and from school, that means the cycle will start again tomorrow, which means that Suzu should be the one to show up with Taya.'

However, the next morning it was Eriko, not Suzu, who brought Taya to Iruka. The two exchanged small talk, but Iruka was left wondering what had happened. Were they going out of order for some reason? Was there an order or was it just random? Was Suzu avoiding him, perhaps, embarrassed by her behavior a few nights previous? When would he see her again?

His questions remained unanswered yet another day when Renjiro brought the children by, and then the next day when it was Juro, not Suzu, at Iruka's classroom door. Finally Iruka's anxiety and curiosity got the better of him.

"Juro, can I ask you a question," Iruka said, somewhat hesitantly, as the two of them watched Taya run off to play with Moegi.

"Sure, go ahead," Juro replied, looking at Iruka curiously.

"It's about Suzu," Iruka hesitated. "Is—is she avoiding me for some reason? I mean, you guys usually have an order in which you pick up and drop off the children, but I noticed she seems to be missing from that order recently."

"What? No," Juro laughed, "She's not avoiding you, Iruka, she's been sick."

"Oh," Iruka's face burned, "I thought maybe Friday night… I mean, um…."

"Trust me, bro, you've got nothing to worry about when it comes to Suzu," Juro grinned, eyes sparkling with humor and mischief. "She's just been feeling under the weather lately. She'll be back up on her feet in no time."

"Oh," Iruka said again, "I'm sorry to hear she's not feeling well. What does she have?"

"She just wore herself out training," Juro shrugged. "Overdid it with forcing chakra control. She's on bed rest for a couple of days while she regains her strength."

Iruka nodded in understanding. "Hey Juro," he said, an idea suddenly coming to him, "Can you tell me the name of the hotel where you're staying?"

* * *

"Oh Suzu, look how beautiful," Eriko gushed as she carried in the flowers that had been delivered to the hotel lobby in Suzu's name. "Do you know who they're from?" she asked, setting them on the table next to Suzu's bed.

"There's an easy way to find out," Suzu smiled, plucking the card from the bouquet. "They're from Iruka," she said, pleased and surprised, as her eyes scanned the card which read:

'Suzu,

Sorry to hear you've been ill. I hope you feel better soon.

Sincerely, Umino Iruka

P.S. – I'd like to see you again. Let me know when you're free.'

"How sweet of him," Eriko said knowingly, while Suzu blushed fiercely. "Be sure to thank him properly the next time you see him."

"I definitely will, Eriko," Suzu said. "I definitely will."

* * *

"Tonight."

The next morning Iruka looked up to see Suzu leaning over his desk, eyes sparkling.

"I'm sorry," he said, pleased and surprised to see her up and about so soon.

"I'm free tonight," Suzu repeated, "That is, if you're still interested."

"I'm definitely interested," Iruka said, before realizing that he sounded a little too eager. It didn't seem to bother Suzu, fortunately.

"Great," Suzu said, with a huge smile.

"Meet me at the base of the stairway leading to the top of the Hokages' monument at eight," Iruka said, thinking quickly.

Suzu cocked her head to one side and looked at him curiously.

"Trust me, you'll like it," Iruka chuckled, but would say no more.

"I'm sure I will," Suzu smiled again.

With that, she departed and Iruka stood and made his way to the blackboard to begin class.


	8. Harmony

**Chapter Eight: Harmony**

At eight o' clock, Suzu approached the stairway at the base of the Hokages' monument, nervously smoothing the fabric of the traditional kimono she was wearing. She and the other Sound refugees didn't have much money, and they certainly hadn't had time to pack when fleeing their village, so Suzu had no idea where Eriko had found the kimono. She guessed the older woman had borrowed it from someone, though she wasn't certain who. It seemed to fit Suzu's petite frame fairly well, however, and the pale blue silk, offset by a white blossom pattern, accentuated the blue of her eyes.

Suzu's white blonde hair was pulled back into a smooth bun, adorned only by two simple bamboo hairsticks, and a few tendrils were left to fall loose, framing her face. She wore no other ornamentation and felt somewhat strange at being so dressed up. She had no idea what Iruka had planned, but she knew she couldn't wear the outfit she wore to fight and train in. She hoped the kimono would be okay.

Suzu stood at the base of the stairway and watched the street for Iruka's arrival. She didn't have to wait long, however, as a soft voice came suddenly from behind her.

"You look beautiful."

She turned to see Iruka making his way down the staircase, a few steps above her. He too was dressed more formally than his everyday clothes, though not quite so dressy as what Suzu was wearing. He wore a black kimono-style top, similar to what Juro wore but made of a finer fabric, and dark blue hakama pants made of the same fabric. His forehead protector was absent, as were his normal weapons, although he had a bag slung over one shoulder.

Suzu flushed and accepted the hand he held out to her, "Thank you. You're looking pretty amazing yourself."

Iruka himself blushed at that and Suzu had to laugh.

"So what's in the bag?" she asked, as he began leading her up the staircase.

"You'll see when we get there," he said mysteriously, releasing her hand to slip an arm around her waist. "Sorry, it's a bit of a walk. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I can use the exercise," she said, chuckling, "I feel like I've been slacking off this whole week while everyone else was training."

"You were ill," he said, shaking his head, "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"I'm always hard on myself," Suzu said, wryly, "It's in my nature."

"I know the feeling," Iruka murmured, but left it at that.

"I hope I'm not too overdressed," she said, after a pause.

"No you look incredible," he replied, giving her an almost shy smile. "It's a little intimidating," he said, honestly.

"Bah," Suzu laughed, "I'm only intimidating when I'm armed."

Iruka blinked at her bewildered for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Oh," he finally said, when he managed to catch his breath, "That reminded me of something I thought the first day I met you. I remember looking at those daggers you wear and thinking that they looked particularly nasty."

"They are," Suzu grinned, wickedly, "So you'd best not get on my bad side."

"Trust me," Iruka smiled, "That's the last thing I want to do."

By that time they'd finally reached the top of the monument, and, as Iruka pulled her up the final few steps, a lovely scene came into view. There was a blanket laid on the stone at the top of the monument, and two place settings surrounded by small boxes of food. Small white candles flickered among the plates and glasses and to one side sat a gleaming telescope, its lens pointed toward the night sky.

"Iruka," Suzu breathed, "Wow… I'm speechless."

"I wanted to do something different from the regular dinner and a movie thing," he said seriously, looking into her eyes. "I hope you like it."

"I love it," she said, delighted. "This is beyond anything I could have imagined."

"It gets better," he said, with a grin. "Wait until you see what we have to eat."

Upon examining the boxes, Suzu discovered they were filled with a large variety of delectable goodies. "Takeout from my favorite restaurant," Iruka explained.

There was also a bottle of plum wine and Chinese dumplings with bean paste for dessert. As they ate and gazed at the breathtaking view of Konoha at night, Iruka took the time to ask Suzu more about herself.

"I was curious about something," he began. "The other day, Juro referred to you as 'little sis' but he's not actually your brother, is he?"

"Oh no," Suzu laughed, "He's like a brother to me, but we aren't related. Juro and I grew up next door to each other and have spent almost our entire lives together. He and his sister, Kimiko, were my best friends."

Iruka nodded, "I had wondered. The two of you seemed awfully close."

"Jealous?" Suzu teased, feeding him a dumpling.

"Maybe slightly," Iruka said, with his mouth full of food. "I also noticed that you referred to Renjiro as your sensei at one point."

"You don't miss much, do you," Suzu shook her head.

"Working with thirty or more children on a daily basis for a number of years makes you remarkably observant," Iruka replied.

"He was my sensei when I was a Genin – Juro's too. I guess sometimes we still think of him that way." Suzu hesitated, "Renjiro's a good man, but he's had a very hard life. He was married once, before I knew him. His wife died in childbirth. The baby too. He was a very patient teacher, very supportive and encouraging, but he always seemed sad. He was good friends with Mochida Tai, as well. Tai's father trained the both of them, and Renjiro was something of an advisor to Tai. He was very upset when Tai invited Orochimaru into our village."

"You seem very fond of him," Iruka said, thoughtfully.

"He's like a father to me," Suzu sighed, thinking of how Renjiro might chafe at that description. Lately his attentions had taken on a far less fatherly bent. Suzu realized Iruka was looking at her curiously and quickly changed the subject, "I'm sorry, I've been doing all the talking. Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

"Like what?" Iruka asked.

'Like why you're still a Chuunin,' Suzu thought deeply curious, but didn't say. "Hmm… well, how about how did you get that scar?" she said instead, lightly tracing the scar that crossed the bridge of his nose with one finger.

"Oh this," Iruka laughed, pointing at his scar, "Childhood accident. I was fooling around during training when I was a cadet at the academy, playing with a kunai I'd swiped from my father. I dared another student to throw it at me; completely sure I could dodge it in time. Well, I dodged it, but not completely. I'm lucky I didn't lose an eye… or worse."

Suzu shook her head, amused, "You never struck me as the type to steal things from your parents."

"I was a lot more rambunctious as a child," Iruka grinned, "I acted out a lot to get attention. Mostly because I was lonely, I think. My… my parents were killed in battle when I was twelve and I only became more boisterous afterward. I felt isolated and wanted people to notice me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Suzu murmured, and Iruka remembered that her own parents had also been killed recently. "It's a tough life… that of a shinobi," she continued, thoughtfully, "Even for those who are only friends and family."

Iruka just nodded and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close, her back against his chest. Suzu rested the back of her head against his shoulder and they stayed like that for a while, each lost in their respective thoughts. Eventually Iruka broke the silence by changing the subject.

"Hey, would you like to see the stars?" he pointed to the telescope.

"Definitely," Suzu twisted around to smile at him and then rose to her feet when he released her. "Where did you get it anyway?"

"Borrowed it from the academy," Iruka said, taking her hand and leading her toward the telescope. "It took a bit of convincing, but I managed it."

Suzu just laughed and bowed her head to look through the eyepiece. "It doesn't seem to be in focus," she said, after a moment.

Iruka moved to adjust the dials on the telescope, looking through the eyepiece himself. "Now try," he said, stepping back and wrapping his arms around Suzu's waist.

Suzu looked through the telescope again and gasped, "Oh wow, it's beautiful. Which star is that?"

"It's Venus, actually," Iruka chuckled, and Suzu looked back at him and blushed.

Looking at her like this; face flushed and eyes shining, moonlight making her hair shimmer silver, Iruka found Suzu irrepressibly lovely. Gently, almost without thinking, he cupped her chin in one hand and tilted her face upward, lowering his lips to meet hers in a kiss. A small sigh escaped Suzu as she leaned into the kiss and the two of them melted into one another for several moments as it seemed like the world held it's breath.

Finally they parted, both a little dazed, and Suzu gave Iruka the most achingly sweet smile. "This has been an incredible night," she said, "I wish it didn't have to end, but I have to be up early for training tomorrow."

"That's okay," Iruka smiled back, "I didn't expect you to spend all night with me. Just give me a few minutes to clean up and I'll walk you home."

"I'll help you," Suzu replied, and between the two of them they packed up everything fairly quickly. The mystery of the bag Iruka had been carrying was also solved when, after taking the telescope apart, he slipped it and the remaining dishes, blanket and food boxes inside.

"Well I had to have some way to get everything up here," he said, and Suzu laughed.

The walk down from the top of the monument seemed to take no time at all, as did the walk back to Suzu's hotel. Just outside the hotel door, Iruka paused to kiss Suzu goodnight.

"I'd like to see you again," he murmured, arms wrapped around her, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"You will," she said, resting her head against his chest. "I'm kid-sitting next Friday, but I'm pretty sure I'm free Saturday. I'm afraid I can't do anything during the week. I have a lot of training to catch up on."

"That's understandable," Iruka said, "Saturday it is then."

"See you then," said Suzu, with a smile, pulling away. She gave Iruka one long last lingering glance, squeezed his hand, and turned to go inside.

Iruka watched her go then turned and began to make his own way home, feeling almost like his feet were skimming a few inches above the rough stone of the street.


	9. Dissonance

**Author's Note:** I know some of you have expressed concern at how swiftly I seem to be writing this story. Although I do write pretty quickly, I would like to assure you that I'm not quite that fast. The first several chapters of "Prelude" were written prior to my even having an account here, and I posted the first six chapters all at once. The seventh and eighth chapters were also previously written, but required a bit more fine tuning before posting. It did not take me long to edit them, however, which is why they too were posted within a few days' time. I wrote this chapter two nights ago and, as it stands, I seem to be averaging about a chapter a week. Thus, once this chapter is posted, I regret that the speed at which I've been updating will slow considerably.

I have also taken a couple of suggestions into consideration, most notably the one about Naruto figuring more prominently in the story. Naruto is a very large part of Iruka's life, thus he should definitely get a fair amount of page time in a story about Iruka. Therefore, I have planned scenes involving him in at least two chapters, and may possibly add others in the future.

I also wanted to explain that I'm old fashioned in my writing style, meaning I completely outline a story, chapter by chapter, before ever writing a word. Thus, I know how the story will progress and end before I ever begin it, and I set goals for each chapter in the outline, expressing which plot points need to be made to progress the story. The rest, as they say, is gravy.

On a completely unrelated note, I saw a football player on TV tonight who had a scar across the bridge of his nose, just like Iruka's. I'm not entirely sure if he's college or pro, but I think he plays for Colorado. I'd never seen a real person with a scar like that before and, actually, it didn't look bad. It was noticeable, but didn't really detract from the guy's looks in any way.

Anyway, here's the actual chapter. I apologize for the brevity, but what happens here didn't seem to fit with the previous chapter, or the one that comes after. I thought it would be longer, but apparently I needed less words to get my point across this time.

**Chapter Nine: Dissonance**

"Where the hell have you been?" Renjiro growled the moment Suzu let herself into the suite of rooms she'd been sharing with the rest of the Sound refugees.

"I was out," she said, somewhat taken aback, "With -"

"I know very well who you were with," Renjiro snapped, "I saw the little show you put on from the window."

"You were spying on me?" Suzu responded, shocked and angry. "How dare you! You have no right -"

"I have every right," Renjiro said, harshly. "It's my job to protect you and the rest of the Chuunin and children from possible danger."

"Dating is dangerous?" Suzu said, incredulously, "I know it's been a long time for you Renjiro, but really, I think you're overreacting."

"I am not overreacting. You know just as well as I do that now is not the time to be fooling around when there's a potential war at hand," Renjiro hissed. "You need to be concentrating on your training instead of wasting your time with that schoolteacher."

"I'm not wasting my time," Suzu fumed. "I enjoy spending time with Iruka. It makes me happy. After everything that's happened I think I deserve a little happiness."

"You say he makes you happy, but are you fool enough to think he's really interested in you, Suzu? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe he's using you to gain more information about us? I wouldn't put it past that woman," Renjiro said, meaning the Hokage, "To encourage one of her ninja to seduce you so they can spy on us. In the end he's only going to hurt you, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"Don't be absurd. Why would they want to spy on us? We have nothing to hide," Suzu said astonished. "Renjiro, please calm down. Trust me, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

'When did he become this paranoid?' She wondered, trying to regain control of the situation, 'Maybe everything he's lived through is finally starting to take its toll… or maybe it's something else entirely.'

"Suzu," Renjiro sighed, "You don't understand. I know you've been hurt and lonely since your parents passed away, and I've tried to do everything I can to comfort you, but I don't think dating a Konoha ninja is the best way to assuage that loneliness. They don't trust us… and I'm not so sure I trust them."

"You've got it all wrong," Suzu groaned, rubbing her temples. "I have been lonely and I have been hurting – we all have – but that's not why I'm seeing Iruka. I like him. I've finally found someone who speaks to something within me, someone who… who… just feels right," she finished, simply.

Renjiro flinched, as if wounded, but Suzu forced herself to ignore it. "Besides," she continued in a calmer tone of voice, "It may turn out to be nothing at all. I like him, sure, but it may go nowhere. In the meantime I'm going to continue training and planning for the day when we retake our village. That's what's important to me and that's what I'm putting first. You have nothing to worry about."

Renjiro sighed and sat down heavily on the couch in the suite's common room. "I just wish you hadn't gotten involved with him," he said. "It complicates things, Suzu, and we need as little complexity as possible right now."

"I know it does, but let me relax a little, Renjiro. I promise everything will be fine."

"I'm holding you to that, Suzu," Renjiro shook his head. "I hope you don't disappoint me."

* * *

Iruka was nearly home when a dark, human-shaped shadow darted from a rooftop above and landed on the sidewalk next to him with a thud. Iruka reacted instinctively, immediately striking a defensive posture before the silhouette coalesced into the familiar shape of Hatake Kakashi.

"You're out late tonight," Kakashi said, mildly.

"I could say the same for you," Iruka replied tersely, not quite sure why the silver haired Jounin was bothering him.

"I've been keeping an eye on the refugees per the Hokage's orders," Kakashi said, gesturing with his head in the direction of Suzu's hotel, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Oh, shouldn't you be back there, then," Iruka responded, sounding somewhat more defensive than he meant to.

"Under the circumstances, I thought it might be best to talk to you before I made my report to the Hokage," Kakashi shrugged lazily, and Iruka suddenly realized that the Jounin had seen his and Suzu's goodnight kiss.

"Let's get to the point then," Iruka sighed. "Is the Hokage going to have a problem with me seeing Suzu? I don't remember her forbidding associating with the refugees."

"It's not forbidden, no," Kakashi said slowly, "But do you really think it's wise?"

"Why would it be unwise?" Iruka frowned, "I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this."

"Because we don't know their intentions. It's possible that they're using her to get close to you to gain information about Konoha," Kakashi said bluntly.

"What secrets of Konoha could I possibly know that a potential spy would want?" Iruka asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Well, for one, you are extremely familiar with evacuation procedures," Kakashi suggested.

'Well, yes, there is that,' Iruka thought to himself, 'but really, this is becoming ridiculous.'

"Look, Kakashi," he sighed, "Trust me, she's not after my 'secret evacuation procedure knowledge'. Now if you don't mind, I'd really like to go home and go to bed. It's very late."

"I'll make my report to the Hokage in the morning then," Kakashi shrugged again.

"That's fine, you do that," Iruka shook his head and began moving toward the door to his apartment building.

"Oh, and Iruka?" Kakashi said, nonchalantly.

"Yes?" Iruka sighed wearily.

"Be careful. Don't let anything slip in the heat of passion," Kakashi finished, a smile crinkling the corner of his one visible eye. Then, in a sudden puff of smoke, he was gone.

Iruka just muttered darkly to himself and pushed open the door to his apartment building, wondering why everything had become so damn complicated all of a sudden.


	10. Crescendo

**Chapter Ten: Crescendo**

The following week passed without incident. There were no summons from the Hokage and no crises to fret over. Iruka's class was progressing satisfactorily, and Taya seemed to have adapted to the new setting flawlessly.

On Monday, Keiji reappeared to walk Taya to and from school, and despite Iruka's best efforts to get the young man to open up, he remained brooding and mostly silent. On Tuesday, Iruka chatted warmly with Eriko who, more and more, reminded him of a young mother. She seemed to have the type of personality that drove her to want to care for everyone. Iruka decided that he liked her.

On Wednesday, however, Iruka was surprised when the normally polite and refined Renjiro seemed to be… glowering at him for some reason. Conversation with the red haired Jounin was tense and choppy, and Iruka got the idea that Suzu's former sensei had taken a dislike to him. Iruka was completely stumped as to why, however.

On Thursday Iruka joked around with Juro, whose company was always entertaining, and on Friday….

Suzu entered the classroom, Taya in tow. Releasing her charge, who ran off to whisper with Moegi, Suzu came to stand next to Iruka's desk.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei," she said softly, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.

"Good morning Suzu," Iruka responded in turn, his face breaking into a huge grin.

The two stayed like that for several moments, just drinking in the sight of one another, before Iruka blushed profusely and continued the conversation.

"How has your training been going?"

"Oh much better," Suzu nodded vigorously, "I seem to have leaped forward. I guess that week of rest did me a lot of good."

"Congratulations," Iruka said, earnestly. Then, dropping his voice, "Are – are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Suzu whispered, eyes sparkling.

"Great! I was thinking… there's a fall festival going to be held in Konoha. Does that sound like something you would like to do?"

"Sounds good to me," Suzu grinned, "Pick me up tomorrow morning at ten?"

"I'll be there," Iruka nodded. Then, louder, "It was nice talking with you Suzu. Good luck with your training and I'll see you later."

"See you later Iruka-sensei," Suzu responded, and with a wave she slipped out of the classroom door.

Iruka watched her go, completely unaware that all eyes in his classroom were focused on him. The moment the door shut behind Suzu, his students broke into uncontrolled giggles.

"What's so funny?" Iruka's attention snapped back to his class.

"Does --," Moegi could barely get the sentence out, she was so overcome with giggling, "Does Iruka-sensei have a girlfriend?"

At that Iruka turned bright red and his students burst into laughter again. "Moegi," he began, trying to sound rational and calm, cheeks still burning, "That's not a polite question to ask somebody."

"But he does," squealed Taya, no longer able to contain herself. "Mr. Renjiro said Iruka-sensei kissed Miss Suzu in front of the hotel."

With that the girls in his classroom let out squeals of excitement while the boys made retching noises. Iruka flushed the red of a cherry tomato, a scowl creasing his brow. "Everyone in your seats," he barked abruptly, "Time for another pop quiz."

Amid the moans and groans of his students, Iruka wondered: Renjiro saw him kiss Suzu good night? Could that be the reason why the red haired Jounin was so harsh with him earlier? But that didn't make any sense. Suzu was an adult and Renjiro was not her father. Aside from that, how many people had seen him kiss her. First Kakashi and now Renjiro. Iruka was starting to wonder if there was any sort of privacy in Konoha whatsoever.

Sighing, Iruka pulled out one of his tactics textbooks and began to choose which questions to inflict upon his students during the pop quiz.

* * *

The next morning Iruka woke bright and early. He dressed comfortably in a loose, copper-colored yukata, dark blue sash, and the same dark blue hakama pants he'd worn on his and Suzu's last date. He hoped she wouldn't mind. He didn't have a lot of clothing outside of what he normally wore on an everyday basis. Tying his forehead protector in place and slipping into his sandals, Iruka opened his front door to bright morning sunlight.

Walking the few blocks that separated Suzu's hotel from his apartment, Iruka could already see decorations going up for the festival that day. While he walked, he mused over whether he should take Suzu out to breakfast, since it was still a little early for the festivities began. He was so lost in thought that he reached the front of Suzu's hotel almost without realizing it. Looking up, Iruka was greeted by a sight that almost took his breath away.

Suzu stood in front of the hotel, awash in a spill of sunlight. The indigo ao dai and loose white pants she wore intensified the extreme blue of her eyes. Her white-blonde hair was pulled over one shoulder in a long braid, and sunlight reflected off its strands, surrounding her in a soft, golden halo. Her ivory skin practically glowed, and a soft flush colored her cheeks.

'She looks like an angel,' Iruka thought helplessly, as he walked forward to greet her.

"Good morning," Suzu murmured, smiling unabashedly.

"Good morning yourself," Iruka replied, overcome with the sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless right then and there, not giving a damn if the whole world was watching.

"That's a gorgeous color on you," Suzu said, fingering the sleeve of Iruka's shirt, admiring how the red-orange fabric lent a radiance to his caramel colored skin.

"I was about to say the same for you," Iruka smiled, "But then, you always look beautiful, so I realized I'd just be stating the obvious."

"Nice one," Suzu chuckled, shaking her head. "You clever schoolteachers and your way with words."

"Words aren't even enough," he murmured, taking her arm, and Suzu blushed prettily.

"So where to?" She asked, enjoying his closeness.

"Well it's early yet," Iruka began, "And I'm not exactly sure what time the festivities are going to start, so I thought maybe we could go out to breakfast."

"Sounds like a good idea," Suzu agreed, "I ate already, but I could maybe do something light."

"Hmm," Iruka said, thoughtfully, "Well there's this little ramen stand Naruto and used to go to all the time."

"Naruto?" Suzu asked curiously.

"One of my former students," Iruka said as they walked. "He grew up without a family – like me – and I felt sorry for him so I used to buy him ramen. He's… he's actually sort of like a son to me," Iruka concluded, smiling fondly.

Suzu just shook her head at him, wide-eyed.

"What?" Iruka asked, wondering if he said something wrong.

"It's just – you're almost too good to be true," Suzu laughed at his worried expression. "Keep it up and you just may restore my faith in humanity."

Iruka grinned, "Nah, I'm not that great." He shrugged his shoulders depreciatingly.

"I beg to differ," Suzu smiled.

By that time they'd reached Ichiraku and Iruka pushed his way through the awning, leading Suzu to the bar.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei," the owner of the ramen stand and his daughter greeted him as one.

"Good morning," Iruka replied, sitting down. "What would you like?" he then said to Suzu, handing her a menu.

Suzu scanned the menu, finally settling on a small bowl of seafood ramen. "Two please," Iruka told the shop owner, and the man hastened to fill their order. Just as the bowls had been set in front of them, and as Iruka was in the process of breaking apart his chopsticks, Naruto burst through the awning, almost as if drawn by the smell of the ramen.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto threw his arms around Iruka's waist. "Somehow I knew you'd be here. Have you come to buy me some ramen?"

Next to Iruka, Suzu choked on her noodles and had to pound herself on the chest to dislodge them. "Naruto, I presume," she said, laughing, when she finally caught her breath.

"Yes, I'm Naruto. Who are you?" Naruto said, with a frown, studying the strange woman with Iruka-sensei. "Wait, you're one of those Sound ninja!" he cried, suddenly recognizing her. "But what are you doing here with Iruka-sensei?" He then turned his scrutinizing gaze upon Iruka, "And why are you dressed funny?"

Iruka just looked at Suzu, who looked back at him helplessly. It was then that Naruto put two and two together. "Hey… are you on a date?" he asked, slowly.

"Um… yes?" Iruka blushed slightly, sounding almost unsure if he should be answering.

"But Iruka-sensei, why are you on a date with a Sound ninja?" Naruto asked, eyes narrowed, studying Suzu with some scrutiny.

"Because Suzu's a very nice woman," Iruka offered, lamely, eyeing his young friend warily. "I know you've had some bad experiences with the Sound in the past, but I can assure you Suzu's nothing like that."

Suzu gave Iruka a grateful little smile but stayed out of the conversation for the time being.

"It's like --," an idea came to Iruka suddenly, "You remember how people used to treat you because they assumed things about you without taking the time to know you? It's kind of like that. A lot of people don't trust the Sound refugees because they assume things about them without getting to know them first. Well, I've gotten to know them and found out that they're pretty nice people… Suzu especially." Iruka grinned openly at his date.

Suzu blushed again and murmured a soft, "Thank you," under her breath.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "If you say she's a good person, Iruka-sensei, then I believe it." He then hopped up onto the stool next to Suzu; "Do I still get ramen?"

"Sure, why not?" Iruka laughed, ordering an extra big bowl for Naruto.

"So you're Suzu," Naruto said, once it had arrived, his mouth full of noodles.

"And you're Naruto," Suzu responded with a nod. "Iruka has a lot of good things to say about you."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes shone, "Thanks Iruka-sensei."

"No problem," Iruka responded, reaching for a napkin. "So what have you been up to lately, Naruto?"

"I just got back from my first mission by myself," Naruto said excitedly. "Well… not just myself; Sakura and Sasuke were there too – but Kakashi-sensei didn't go with us!"

"Really?" said Iruka, surprised and pleased. "You three must be getting really good at being ninja."

"We are, we are," Naruto nodded vigorously, noodles trailing over his chin.

"Missions sound like a lot of fun," Suzu spoke up, "Kind of makes me wish we'd gotten a chance to go on them when we were training."

"You never went on missions," Naruto was incredulous and even Iruka blinked at Suzu in surprise.

"Well, no," Suzu said, blushing once more, "The Hidden Village of Sound was founded to avoid political bloodshed, so it wouldn't make sense for us to participate in missions for other countries."

"So what exactly did you do?" Naruto gaped.

"Um… Hidden Village of Sound ninja were originally trained to act as a sort of… military police force. To protect the village and its occupants from harm. Our Kage was the head of the police force – kind of like the captain – and the lower levels of ninja acted as lieutenants, sergeants and peace officers." Suzu sipped the rest of her broth in silence.

"That's… different," Iruka finally spoke up. "How did they determine who was at what level?"

"We have our own tests," Suzu said, with a shrug, "Similar to yours. And we have an academy, although it's small and only admits children ten and up. Children younger than ten go to a regular school to learn the basics of reading, writing, math and history from the time they're five. Once they turn ten, they can decide to enter the ninja academy or choose to apprentice under one of the village professionals until they're an adult. Toshiro had just entered the academy when… when Orochimaru staged his coup."

Iruka nodded, "I wondered why Taya didn't seem to know a lot of the basics of being a ninja. But she seemed to pick them up so quickly I didn't worry about it."

"What she's learning, and what Minoru and Mitsu are learning, is completely new to them. Toshiro was… talented before he ever entered the Sound's academy, so he's been excelling even with the older students. Taya seems to be picking it up fairly well, as does Mitsu, but Minoru…" Suzu sighed.

"He's having difficulty?" Iruka asked, wondering why this was the first he'd heard of this.

"I don't think he's really cut out to be a ninja," Suzu frowned, "He doesn't seem to have the temperament for it and he certainly doesn't seem to like it. We'd pull him from the school, but we think it's necessary for him to be around other children to socialize properly. Right now we're not sure what to do."

"Let me talk to the other teachers," Iruka said, also frowning in thought. "I'll see if we can work something out."

"Thank you," Suzu gave him another grateful smile. "It's been hard enough on him, having his parents die and then being dragged halfway across the continent to settle in a new place. We don't want to push him too hard for fear of doing any more harm."

"His parents died?" Naruto asked, ordering another bowl when Iruka wasn't paying attention.

"Yes, all the children's parents did… well, except Toshiro. He was already an orphan. My parents did as well," Suzu said softly.

"Suzu," said Naruto, not sure if he should be asking this question, "What happened in the Village of Sound? How did you escape? How did you get here without being caught?"

"Well," Suzu began, "I'll have to explain a little history for you to understand how things played out…."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This chapter and the one that comes after it were originally one (extremely) long chapter. I broke it down into two parts to make it more digestible and also to maintain the tone of each portion. Thus Naruto gets an (albeit brief) extra scene, and I get another unexpected chapter in the story.

For reference, a "yukata" is a short informal kimono, about hip-length at most. "Hakama" are those really flowy-looking traditional Japanese pants that almost resemble a skirt. An "ao dai" is a Vietnamese dress/tunic very similar to what Sakura wears, with a mandarin collar and slits over the hips on both sides. It's meant to be worn with a pair of (normally white) baggy pants.


	11. Interlude

**Chapter Eleven: Interlude**

"It began with the founding of the Hidden Village of Sound," Suzu said, voice hushed so that only Iruka and Naruto could hear her. "The man who founded it, Mochida Yukio, was a shinobi from the Hidden Village of Rain. He left the Rain after one too many of his friends died in senseless clashes between political powers. Gathering others of like mind, he traveled north to found the Hidden Village of Sound and kept it isolated so that it would remain free from bloodshed. He and other shinobi who had settled in the village decided to train future generations of ninja to protect the Sound, but nothing more."

"Mochida Yukio was a musician as well as a ninja, and he founded the village on the principle of harmony; everyone and everything worked together to create a perfect, dynamic whole. He was also the originator of many of the musical techniques the Sound ninja are known for. He was a very great man."

"His son, Mochida Tai, inherited leadership of the village after Mochida Yukio passed away. Tai had been trained by his father, but was not nearly as levelheaded or calm as Mochida Yukio. He inherited the title of Otokage at a young age, so he was also emotionally unprepared to have the entire village depend upon him. He became afraid that the village would be attacked under his reign, and that we would not be prepared when it happened. To combat this, he began seeking out new techniques for the Sound ninja to learn, and encouraged his subordinates to do the same."

"Renjiro, the Jounin of our group and my former sensei, was a close friend of Tai's and was also trained by Tai's father. He became one of Tai's advisors after Tai gained the title of Otokage. Though Renjiro did his best to keep Tai from becoming too paranoid, it was difficult to curb all of the Otokage's impulses. Tai began traveling outside the village, sometimes not returning for weeks, to seek out new techniques. Eventually he returned from his last outing with Orochimaru in tow."

"Tai claimed that Orochimaru was a skilled shinobi who would teach the ninja of the Hidden Village of Sound wondrous techniques. He was half-right. Orochimaru did teach some of our ninja his techniques; those who he secretly made swear allegiance to him."

"I was a Genin at the time, so I didn't know most of this was going on. Juro, Tsuchi and I studied under Renjiro, and all I knew was Renjiro didn't like Orochimaru very much. Eventually Tsuchi asked to study under Orochimaru, and although Renjiro protested, Tai granted Tsuchi's request."

"Tsuchi?" Naruto said, surprised. "I think I remember her. She was one of the spies Orochimaru brought with him to the Chuunin exams."

"She defected," Suzu muttered, darkly. "It wasn't that unexpected, really, at least not to Renjiro. Juro and I are looking forward to paying her back for betraying us."

"At any rate, you can see how this is going. Once Orochimaru began training those Sound ninja who had a lust for power and questionable morals, he staged a coup and attacked the village from the inside. It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep. Orochimaru and his forces swept through the village killing and destroying when we were at our most vulnerable. There wasn't time to evacuate; there was barely time to think. We were almost completely unprepared."

Suzu sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I was asleep in bed when I heard Juro shouting from outside my window. No, not shouting… screaming. They'd attacked his house first and killed his sister, Kimiko, while she was downstairs making a snack. He'd heard the noise and gone downstairs to investigate."

"You have to understand," she whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears, "Kimiko wasn't a ninja. She was a baker. She'd taken over the family business when her parents passed away. Juro was the only ninja in the Terada family for as far back as anyone could remember. Orochimaru had ordered his ninja to kill without regard to whether the victims posed a threat or not. He simply wanted to cause as much chaos and pain as possible to force the villagers into submission."

"Anyway, when Juro made it downstairs to find… to find Kimiko's body, he tore through the two ninja that had invaded his home. He saw others moving on the street outside and climbed out the kitchen window to warn his neighbors. I woke up in time to hear my father fighting below my feet. My mother was already -- she wasn't a ninja. She never had a chance."

"My father was a ninja, but he was caught completely unprepared. He fought valiantly, and managed to take down one of his opponents. I made it downstairs and Juro burst through my front door just in time to see the second ninja pulling his kunai from my father's body. Needless to say the second ninja wasn't long for this world," Suzu said, bitterly.

"Juro and I were both grief stricken, but we knew we had to keep fighting to defend our village. We left my house in pursuit of Orochimaru's forces when Renjiro arrived and begged us to come with him. Renjiro was badly injured. He told us he'd been at Mochida Tai's side when the village was attacked. They used to go out drinking together sometimes, so I suppose that was what they'd been doing at the time. He then told us that Mochida Tai had fallen to Orochimaru, as had several other elite ninja. The only reason Renjiro survived was because Tai had sent him away to protect his only daughter, Taya. That was where Renjiro was headed, but, as I said, he was badly injured and needed our help. We went with him."

"Upon reaching Mochida Tai's house, we met up with several ninja who were attempting to infiltrate it. We dispatched them and managed to make our way inside. There we met up with Taya, Eriko, who was acting as Taya's nurse and bodyguard, and Minoru, Eriko's nephew."

Something clicked in Iruka's head. "Eriko's a medical specialist, isn't she?"

Suzu nodded, "Among other things."

"And Minoru's her nephew?"

"Nephew-in-law, I suppose you could say. He's her husband's sister's son."

Iruka nodded and Suzu continued, "Once it was established that none of us were a threat to one another, we decided that we should all head to the ninja academy, since that was where we had been directed to go during evacuations. At least it would offer us some form of protection, since the academy was well fortified. When we arrived, we found Toshiro wandering its halls, shocked and shaking. Apparently the couple who had been caring for him had been killed in their sleep and he awoke to find their bodies. It's likely he wasn't killed because the opposing ninja had no idea he was in the house. Not knowing what else to do, Toshiro reacted as he would during an evacuation and headed straight to the school."

"Once we'd established that, then Keiji arrived with Mitsu. Mitsu was Tokiko's, Keiji's fiancée's, younger sister," Suzu explained. "Keiji headed to Tokiko's the moment he knew the village was under attack. Her parents were already dead when he arrived and Tokiko was mortally wounded. He managed to fight off her attackers, but not in time to save Tokiko. She died in his arms."

Iruka and Naruto were both looking at Suzu with horrified expressions. "Should – should I stop?" she asked, uncertain.

"No, please go on," Iruka said, gently, "I think we're just… appalled that all of you were forced to live through something so horrific."

Suzu nodded slowly, then, somewhat hesitantly, continued, "Keiji took Mitsu with him from Tokiko's house and brought her to the school. When we'd all arrived in the same place, Renjiro told us that Tai had mentioned a secret escape tunnel in the academy's basement. We went downstairs and, sure enough it was there. We fled through the tunnel and emerged deep in the forest some distance from the village. Renjiro said we needed to keep moving, to avoid anyone who might come after us, so we headed south. It was during the journey that Eriko learned her husband had been killed. He was one of the elite ninja who had fallen at Mochida Tai's side."

"Whose idea was it to come to Konoha?" Iruka asked, curiously.

"Renjiro's. We'd been traveling for a while, moving from town to town and hoping that Orochimaru's ninja wouldn't catch up. We were hungry and tired of hiding. Then Renjiro overheard a rumor from someone who attended the Chuunin exam in Konoha. He was told that the Hidden Village of Sound had attacked Konoha, but that the Sound had failed. Renjiro decided Konoha was probably the safest place to be."

Iruka just shook his head and even Naruto, for once, seemed speechless. His half-eaten second bowl of ramen had cooled considerably while he listened to Suzu's story.

"Well, you're here now and that's what's important," Iruka took Suzu's hand and she gave him a half-hearted smile. "I didn't mean to have you call up painful memories," he said seriously. "I'm sorry Suzu."

"I am too," said Naruto, looking supremely sorry in the way that only Naruto could.

"Don't worry about it," Suzu smiled for real this time, causing both her companions to relax, "I don't plan on brooding on it all day. Especially when I have such a handsome gentleman to distract me." She squeezed Iruka's hand and he blushed, pleased.

"It's probably about time to head to the festival anyway," Iruka took out his wallet and paid for his, Suzu's and Naruto's meals. He then rose slowly, offering Suzu a hand up.

"You're going to the festival too?" Naruto said, excitedly. "I'm supposed to be meeting Sakura, but maybe we'll run into each other."

"Maybe," said Iruka, extending a hand to rumple Naruto's unruly blond hair.

With a grin, Naruto waved goodbye and hurried out of the ramen stand to meet the pink-haired girl of his dreams.

"I see why you like him," Suzu said, smiling at Naruto's spirited departure. "I wish I had half his energy and optimism."

"He's one of a kind," Iruka agreed, also smiling with paternal fondness at the blond boy's retreating form. "Well… shall we?" he offered Suzu his arm.

"Definitely," she replied, and the two exited Ichiraku to make their way through Konoha's busy streets to the site of the fall festival.


	12. Legato

**Chapter Twelve: Legato**

The festival was exactly what Suzu needed to take her mind off of the painful memories she'd drudged up at the ramen stand. She understood why Naruto had asked her about the events leading up to her and the rest of the refugees' coming to Konoha. She probably would've asked the same thing, had she been in his place. But she and the rest of the refugees disliked talking about their experiences, which was understandable, really.

In any event, as Iruka said, she was "here now" and she might as well enjoy herself. Fortunately, with Iruka by her side and the celebratory air of the festival surrounding her, Suzu was finding it surprisingly easy to relax.

As she and Iruka walked arm and arm through the brightly decorated streets, Suzu caught sight of several familiar faces. There was Gai, proving his strength at one of the game booths, much to the delight of a young man who looked disturbingly similar to him. There was Anko, choosing various sweets from a vendor's wares. Asuma and Kurenai walked through the festivities side by side, not touching and trying to look for all the world like they weren't actually together, but failing miserably.

Rounding a corner, Suzu caught sight of Naruto offering a stuffed frog to a pretty, pink-haired girl who looked completely bewildered and slightly embarrassed. She and Iruka exchanged amused glances, but continued on their way, not wanting to interrupt Naruto's courtship.

Nearing the river, Suzu was surprised to see several people had spread out blankets on its banks, one of the groups consisting of Eriko, Juro, Keiji and Mitsu. Juro was laying flat on his back, hands behind his head, enjoying the sunshine, while Eriko sat on the blanket and braided Mitsu's long white hair. Keiji lounged in the shade of a nearby tree, blowing softly on a familiar, polished wooden flute.

Suzu wondered briefly where Renjiro and the rest of the children were, before steering Iruka in the direction of her companions.

"Fancy meeting you here," Juro quipped, the moment their shadows fell over his prone form.

"Bah, you knew I was coming to the festival," Suzu rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"True," said Juro, "Which is how I got the idea to come out here myself. Can't say it was a bad one." He shot her his usual charming grin, and Suzu had to smile in return.

"Where's everyone else," Iruka asked, looking around for the absent Jounin and children.

"Off in the middle of it somewhere," Eriko paused in braiding Mitsu's hair to wave a hand in the direction Suzu and Iruka had come. "We volunteered to go with them, but Renjiro said he could handle it."

Suzu simply nodded and released Iruka's arm to take a seat on the blanket next to Eriko. She patted the ground next to her and smiled endearingly up at Iruka who chuckled and took a seat beside her.

"Has his mood improved any?" Suzu murmured to Eriko, meaning her erstwhile sensei.

"Afraid not, dear. You'd best avoid him for now," Eriko responded in turn, keeping her own voice low. Iruka just looked at the two of them curiously.

"Renjiro's in a bit of a snit," Suzu apologized to Iruka. "It's… it's a long story."

"A very long story, nine years in the making," Juro said, wryly, and Suzu shot him a warning look. Fortunately, the green-haired Chuunin refrained from saying anything more damning.

Iruka just blinked, feeling like he was missing something, but decided not to press any further.

"So is this all you're going to do today?" Suzu gestured at her companions' lazy postures, with a smile.

"Well, Keiji was going to play us something," Juro replied. "If he can ever make up his damn mind," the last statement was cheerfully directedat where Keiji lounged beneath the tree.

"Language," Eriko tsked at Juro, motioning to Mitsu who was now staring at the green-haired Chuunin with the shock only a child can muster at hearing a bad word.

"The problem is," Keiji said calmly, ignoring the admonition that passed between Eriko and Juro, "I only know ballads and lays. Only sad songs. I don't know anything cheerful enough for a midday festival."

"Then play a ballad," said Eriko. "Just pick a sweet one."

"A sweet one," Keiji muttered thoughtfully, then raised the flute to his lips and began to play a slow, lilting, but heartbreakingly sweet melody.

Iruka's heart wrenchedat hearing the song Keiji played, and he noticed that the rest of the Sound refugees and many of the people nearby had fallen silent while listening to the sad but lovely tune. The silence lingered until the end of the song, which Keiji finished with one last haunting note. There was a light smattering of applause before normal conversation levels resumed and Keiji rose to his feet.

"I'm going to go find something to eat," he said quietly, before stepping off the riverbank and vanishing into the crowd.

Iruka and the three remaining Sound ninja watched him go silently.

"So… he was engaged?" Iruka finally asked, frowning in thought.

"He was," nodded Eriko. Then, answering Iruka's unspoken question, "We're not certain if he was more cheerful before… before." She hesitated at saying 'before his fiancée died' in front of Mitsu. "None of us really knew him before we got into this situation."

"I knew him before," Mitsu said quietly, and all eyes turned in her direction. Iruka was crestfallen to see that the normally cheerful little girl wore an expression of deepest grief.

"He was always really quiet," she continued, softly, "But he was kind. Tokiko loved him very much. I love him very much. He would've been my brother." Then the little girl's bright green eyes overflowed with tears, and Eriko pulled her close as she began to sob.

"I am so sorry," Iruka said, aghast, "I -- I completely forgot. I didn't mean to upset her."

"Shh… it's not your fault," Suzu laid a hand against his cheek. "We're all carrying around too much baggage with us. We've all got hair-triggers right now."

"Damn straight," Juro muttered, and this time Eriko didn't bother to scold him.

By that time Mitsu's sobs had regressed into sniffles, and Iruka suddenly had an idea. "Is it okay if she has sweets?" he asked Suzu quietly, as the little girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Sure," Suzu said, "Why do you ask?"

"Hey Mitsu," Iruka said, "Have you ever tried saltwater taffy?"

"No," the little girl sniffled again, looking at Iruka curiously.

"Well it's my favorite candy and I think I saw one of the vendors selling some. They come in big pieces, so if I buy some I'm not sure I can eat it all myself. Would you like to help me?" Iruka smiled at her cheerfully.

"Oh yes," Mitsu said excitedly, leaping to her feet.

"Great," said Iruka, rising and pulling Suzu up with him. "Follow me and let's see if we can find that vendor."

Suzu gave Iruka a shrug and a smile as if to say 'see, I told you… you're amazing' and Iruka just grinned at her. Taking her hand in one of his and Mitsu's in the other, he led the two young ladies into the crowd on a quest to allay their sadness as sweetly as possible.

Eriko just shook her head as she watched them go, "It's no wonder Renjiro's so torn up about her dating him."

Juro made a 'tsk' noise from his reclining position, "Renjiro never had a chance in hell, even without Iruka showing up. At least not in that way."

"I know, but I can understand why Renjiro's so upset," Eriko replied, watching the back of Iruka's head disappear into the crowd, "It's so obvious Suzu adores him."

* * *

Upon finding the booth selling the saltwater taffy, Iruka purchased a large piece to split between himself, Suzu and Mitsu. The candy seemed to cheer Mitsu up considerably and soon she was laughing and dashing all over the festival, participating in various games and examining a wide variety of booths. She won a stuffed dolphin at one of the game booths, which she presented to Iruka with a huge smile, blushing furiously. Then, a little while later, she brought him a bouquet of wildflowers she'd picked herself.

Watching as Mitsu played a skipping game with several other children, Suzu leaned close and whispered in Iruka's ear, "She has the biggest crush on you."

Iruka flushed and turned to Suzu, surprised. "Really?" he asked, slightly embarrassed, "You think so?"

"Well, who wouldn't," Suzu grinned, and then Iruka really did kiss her, not caring if anyone saw.

They parted just in time to see Renjiro standing less than ten feet away, wearing a look that spoke of pure murder. Suzu shivered slightly and slipped a hand into Iruka's as the red haired Jounin collected Mitsu and the other children and led them off into the depths of the festival. Mitsu waved goodbye cheerfully.

Trying to forget the look Renjiro had given them, Suzu pulled Iruka off in a different direction and lost herself in the festivities for a little while. As the sun began to set, however, she knew she'd have to return home soon and face the music.

"You look like you're thinking about something," Iruka said, noticing Suzu's concerned expression.

"I was just thinking how it's been such a great day, but it's coming to an end and I don't really want to go home," Suzu replied, before really thinking.

"Well, you don't have to go home," Iruka said, suddenly nervous. "We – ah, could go to my place. You could have the bed -- my couch folds out," he continued in a rush, suddenly worried he that he was being too forward.

"Iruka, don't be ridiculous," Suzu said, and Iruka cursed himself for even suggesting such a thing. "If I'm going to be spending the night with you, why on earth would you be sleeping on the couch," she continued, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and Iruka's jaw nearly dropped in surprise.

"Well," he began, grinning from ear to ear, not sure if this was really happening, "My apartment's this way. Would – would you like me to cook you dinner?"

"That would be lovely," Suzu replied, wrapping an arm around his waist as he led her in the direction of his home.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, there's a reason why this story is rated PG-13, you know. Aside from Juro's cursing. He's got a bit of a foul mouth, I'm afraid, as does Renjiro when he gets really angry. Anyway, there's going to be a bit of risky-ness in the next chapter. Nothing too blatant, but you have been warned. Also, it's been pretty happy-fluffy for the past couple of chapters, minus a few moments of angst, but it's going to get a little darker from here on out, so be prepared. 


	13. Discord

**Chapter Thirteen: Discord**

The morning sun filtered through the heavy curtains in Iruka's bedroom, causing dust motes to dance in patches of sunlight. The play of light woke Iruka, who yawned and stretched, pulling himself into a half-sitting position before he realized he wasn't the only one in his bed. Iruka blinked in a half-awake stupor at the silky blonde hair and smooth white skin of the woman lying next to him. Then, suddenly the events of the previous night all came back to him in a rush.

He and Suzu had gone back to his apartment after the festival. He had cooked dinner for her (and hadn't done a half-bad job, he thought) and after they'd eaten and cleaned up, they'd snuggled on the couch and talked for several hours. Eventually talking led to kissing, and kissing led to something more, and they soon found themselves in Iruka's bedroom, entwined beneath the bed sheets.

They had made love very sweetly – twice if Iruka remembered correctly – and then fell asleep in each other's arms, lulled to rest by feelings of euphoria and contentment. Now, with the morning dawning brightly outside, Iruka almost felt like he'd never woken up from a wonderful dream, and he watched tenderly as Suzu slept on next to him, soft and vulnerable and amazingly… his.

Iruka propped himself up on one elbow and continued to watch Suzu in her slumber, musing about whether he should get up and cook them breakfast. He brushed a strand of silvery blonde hair out of her face with a gentle hand, which caused her to roll toward him, snuggling close and burying her face against his chest. Resting a hand in the small of her back, Iruka kissed the top of her head then laid his chin against her crown, drawing her nearer to him. It seemed to him that Suzu sighed contentedly in her sleep.

Just then, Iruka's pleasant reverie was rudely interrupted by an abrupt pounding at his front door. Iruka groaned inwardly and released Suzu, whose eyes fluttered open at the sound. "Don't worry, I'll be right back," he told her, stumbling out of bed and looking around wildly for his bathrobe as the pounding continued. Finally locating it, he threw it over his shoulders, loosely tying the sash around his waist, before hurrying to answer the door.

On the doorstep stood the same wild-haired Chuunin who had originally summoned him to the Hokage's office for the mission to retrieve the refugees. Only this time there was no mirth sparkling in the man's eyes and the message he delivered had the utmost weight of seriousness, "Umino Iruka, you are summoned to the Hokage's office immediately to discuss a matter of the utmost importance."

"Uh, sure," Iruka stuttered, "Just give me a moment to get dressed and I'll be right there."

"The Hokage will be expecting you," the wild-haired Chuunin replied, giving Iruka a short nod before turning to make his way out of the apartment building.

Iruka just blinked at him for a moment, then shut the door and turned to head back to the bedroom to locate his clothing. Scratching his head in confusion as he entered the bedroom, he noticed Suzu was now sitting up in bed and giving him a questioning look.

"I just got summoned to the Hokage's office," Iruka told her. "It sounds serious. I'm really sorry, Suzu, but I have to go."

"No it's all right," Suzu gave him a worried smile, "I should probably head home as well. They might be worrying about me, and if something really is up, I probably need to be there anyway."

Iruka nodded as Suzu slipped out of bed and stood and stretched in the morning sunlight. Seeing her like that, for a moment he was profoundly sorry he had to leave. Then he shook himself awake and began pulling clothing from his bureau.

Suzu finished dressing first and waited until Iruka was completely done before exiting the apartment with him. Once they'd reached the street outside, Iruka paused to give her a parting kiss before she headed off in one direction and he in another.

Walking briskly to the Hokage's office amid the bustle of Sunday morning business on Konoha's streets, Iruka wondered and worried about what was so important that they'd actually gotten him out of bed. He supremely hoped it had nothing to do with Orochimaru's forces; he didn't think Konoha was ready for another attack.

Finally reaching the Hokage's office building, Iruka took the steps two at a time and arrived breathless in Tsunade's waiting room.

"Good morning," Shizune said, upon his arrival. "Tsunade-sama is waiting for you," and with that she opened the door to Tsunade's office and ushered Iruka inside.

Iruka entered the Hokage's office once again to see Tsunade seated behind her desk. The Hokage nodded in greeting, but remained silent as he took a seat in front of her. Finally, when Iruka had made himself relatively comfortable, Tsunade spoke.

"I'm sorry to have to get you out of bed for this. I felt things had gone far enough and thought it would be best to speak with you immediately."

Iruka just blinked at her in confusion, "What is this about, Hokage-sama?"

"The Sound ninja," Tsunade replied, bluntly, "Particularly the blonde you seem to have taken such an interest in. My sources tell me that you've been seen with her publicly on several occasions and then, last night, she spent the night at your home."

"What?!" Iruka was incredulous. "You got me out of bed for this?" His worried frown deepened to a scowl and he had to force himself to control his temper, which was threatening to explode in a vocal and messy way. "Yes, of course I've been seeing Suzu. It's not a big secret. I didn't realize it would be a problem. I thought you told us to treat the refugees like they were citizens of Konoha."

"Iruka," Tsunade sighed, "I said that so that citizens of Konoha wouldn't treat the Sound ninja like they were outcasts or make them feel unwelcome here. It's one thing to make sure your people aren't actively hostile toward someone you suspect, and another thing entirely to encourage them to sleep with the enemy."

"Enemy," Iruka shook his head, "Look, once and for all, the Sound refugees are not the enemy. They're normal people who've found themselves in a bad situation and all Konoha's continued suspicion and antagonism is doing is making the situation harder for everyone involved. If you could just take the time to get to know them like I have; take the time to trust them, then they could be an invaluable asset to you and the village."

"Look," Tsunade snapped, "I'm aware of several things that you can only begin to guess at. Do you think, in my position, it's easy to decide who to trust and who not to? What it comes down to is I've got to go with the option that makes things safest for the village overall. What you're doing, though it may be noble on some level, is jeopardizing the safety of Konoha if there's just the slightest chance that the refugees may be our enemy."

"Oh come off it," Iruka growled, dropping any semblance of formality or civility, "I spend my days in front of a room full of six year olds. There is nothing I could possibly betray to the Sound ninja that would put the village in any sort of danger. If you're worried about them finding out about evacuation procedures then you should pull the children from the school, since they'll learn those procedures there as well."

"Iruka," Tsunade said again, rubbing the bridge of her nose wearily, "You are a ninja and citizen of Konoha. You are an integral member of our village, just as all citizens of Konoha are integral members of the village. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I'm worried about you specifically being in danger?"

Iruka sat back stunned, "You don't need to be, Hokage-sama. Trust me."

Tsunade looked up at him, brown eyes worried, "It's not you I don't trust."

"So what now?" Iruka sighed, feeling like he was losing this battle. "Are you going to forbid me to see her?"

"Do I have to forbid you?" Tsunade asked.

"I'll continue seeing her unless given a direct order not to, Hokage-sama," Iruka regressed to an overly formal but still sarcastic tone. "But I won't be happy about it."

"Then, no, I'm not going to forbid you," Tsunade sighed. "I called you here to try to talk some sense into you, but obviously you're not willing to listen. I am going to give you a new mission, however," she said, her tone turning flinty once more.

"Your new mission is to find out everything you can about the Sound refugees. Since you're in a better position to do this than anyone, I think we can safely say you're the best man for the job," she gave him an almost cruel smile. "You'll be expected to make weekly reports to me about everything you've learned. I think that, under the circumstances, what I'm asking of you is not unreasonable."

"You want me to spy on them," Iruka was disbelieving.

"First and foremost, you are still a ninja of Konoha," Tsunade said with gravity.

"Very well, Hokage-sama," Iruka said, bitterly. "I will do as you command."

* * *

Suzu slipped through Konoha's streets as quickly as she could, worried that something terrible might have happened while she was sleeping. It didn't make sense that they would summon Iruka from home, waking him up in the process, if it wasn't for a very important reason. Thus Suzu was trying to get back to the hotel as soon as possible to determine what was going on.

Upon reaching the hotel, the quiet exterior belayed no sign of trauma or disaster. Suzu nervously pushed her way through the front doors and hurried upstairs to the suite of rooms she was sharing with her companions, hoping that nothingearth-shattering had happened in her absence. When she arrived, however, she found the rooms seemingly empty.

Suzu had just turned to leave when the door to Renjiro's bedroom opened, and the red haired Jounin stepped out into the common room. For a moment the two of them stared at each other soundlessly, as if daring one another to speak, before Renjiro finally broke the silence with a curt question.

"You've finally come home then?"

Suzu just nodded in response, "Where are the others?"

"I sent them out for a few hours," Renjiro replied, seemingly calm. "I thought it might be a good idea to have the place to ourselves when you returned."

"Why is that?" Suzu asked, warily.

"Because we need to have a serious talk," was Renjiro's response, as he moved to seat himself on the common room's couch, "And I thought it best we not argue in front of them."

Suzu groaned inwardly and took the chair across from Renjiro, preparing herself for what was surely to come. "Renjiro," she began, reasonably, "We really have nothing to talk about. I'm an adult. I made an adult decision. You should be able to respect that."

"Don't talk to me about respect," Renjiro snapped, finally losing his cool. "You don't respect the safety of your companions. You don't respect my judgements or decisions. You certainly don't respect yourself; throwing yourself at the first man who looks your way."

"Renjiro," Suzu said, fighting back a mixture of pity, disgust and anger, "We're not discussing this any more. You have absolutely no say in what I choose to do with my life. We only deferred to you because you were the most experienced ninja in our group. However this is not an assignment and you're not actually in charge. We are not required to take orders from you. If I decide to see someone while in Konoha, that's my decision. If I decide to spend the night out with him, that's also my decision. You have absolutely no say in the matter."

"I have no say?!" Renjiro roared, "I have no say?! Did you forget who got you here, you ungrateful little bitch? Did you forget who took you in and taught you everything you know? Did you forget who saved your ass in the village that night and brought you halfway across a continent to safety? I saved you. I made you what you are and now you have the balls to sit there and say that my opinions don't matter."

Suzu gritted her teeth to keep from yelling at Renjiro. She was determined that at least one of them remain rational. "Your direction and teachings have been invaluable to me, and I thank you for that. However, it's time I step out from under your wing and begin to make my own decisions. Contrary to what you may believe, I am more than the sum of what you've given me," she was losing it now, "I am not your creation, I am not your responsibility, and I'm sure as hell not your property!"

With that, Suzu stood up abruptly, eyes blazing, fully intending to storm out of the room. She'd had just about enough of Renjiro's possessive and insane behavior, and if that meant she'd have to find somewhere else to stay for a while, then so be it. Her flight was halted, however, when Renjiro suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, holding her in place.

"Suzu, listen to me," he said passionately, eyes wounded, desperate. "Don't do this. I promise you, I only want the best for you. He's going to hurt you, Suzu. Please. You can't do this to us. We need you. You can't do this to me. I need you. You're the only thing I've got left that matters anymore. If you go, I don't have anything."

"Renjiro stop," she whispered, fully knowing where this was heading but feeling powerless to stop it. "Just let it go. Let me go, please."

"Suzu I can't," Renjiro said in a strangled voice thatcaught halfway between a growl and a sob. "You must know that. You must know that I love you. I've done everything I can for you. Don't just leave me like this."

"Let me go, please, _sensei_," Suzu said recoiling coldly, though her eyes had filled with tears.

That honorific seemed to snap Renjiro back to reality. He released her wrist and buried his head in his hands, refusing to look at her any longer. Finally freed from her former sensei's intended possession, Suzu mindlessly fled the suite of rooms, to suddenly find herself on the unfamiliar streets of Konoha outside. Shaking and shell shocked, she turned and walked numbly in the direction of Iruka's apartment, hoping beyond hope that he would be home soon.


	14. Cacophony

**Author's Notes:** It's been a few days since the last time I posted and I apologize. This chapter's been written for a while, but I broke my foot this week and the pain medication has been making me sleep a lot. I'm not certain how soon the next chapter will be posted. No more than a couple of weeks, more than likely, but let me apologize for the lateness in advance for that one too.

At any rate, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. We're more than halfway done at this point so just stick around for a little while longer and I hope you'll be pleased. This series hasn't been particularly action-oriented lately, but that's going to change fairly soon. Also, a lot of the political stuff that's been in the backgroud is about to move to the foreground. And there will be angst, though hopefully it won't become overwhelming.

**Chapter Fourteen: Cacophony**

A week had passed since Suzu's confrontation with Renjiro and Iruka's discussion with the Hokage. Suzu had returned to Iruka's apartment after leaving the hotel and had waited there until he arrived. When he returned, she explained that she and Renjiro had a falling out and asked Iruka if he wouldn't mind if she stayed with him for a few days. Still smarting from his argument with Tsunade, and seeing the wounded look in Suzu's eyes, Iruka couldn't say no. After a day or two, Suzu seemed to calm down considerably, and by the end of the week she realized that she really did need to return to the hotel and her companions.

"Renjiro was right about them needing me," she sighed, and Iruka simply took her in his arms and told her he'd support whatever decision she made.

Eventually, Suzu returned to the rest of the Sound refugees and they welcomed her back with open arms. Relations with her former sensei were practically non-existent, however; she and Renjiro lived in the same series of rooms and went about their day-to-day lives, but did not directly interact save for a few necessary words here and there.

This went on for several days, until Renjiro received a summons from Konoha's Hokage that eventually required direct interaction with Suzu, as well as the rest of his team.

Renjiro, still shaken from Suzu's sudden departure and even more surprising return, stood outside the door to the Hokage's office bright and early the morning of the summons. He'd arrived almost immediately after receiving the message, though he knew full well that the Hokage hadn't expected him to respond so quickly. Renjiro was currently looking for reasons to avoid remaining in the same place as the rest of the refugees, however, so the Hokage's summons was an excellent excuse to get him out of the hotel. It did cross his mind that he might be waiting here a very long time if the Hokage had other business to attend to, but with current circumstances being as they were, Renjiro wasn't so sure he'd mind.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the door to the Hokage's office opened a few moments later and, yawning, Tsunade waved him inside.

"I sent Shizune out for breakfast," she muttered, when Renjiro remarked upon her attendant's absence, and then directed him to a chair in front of her desk.

"I'm going to get right to the point," she said, as soon as he was seated. "It's still too early for me to worry about formalities, so please excuse me if I'm a little abrupt. As you know, my men have been training hard, the better to combat Orochimaru and his forces when the time comes to attack. I realize that you and your people have also been training for this eventuality. However, I thought it might be beneficial to both of us if our ninja could train together for once. Therefore I've set up a sort of mock-battle to test both our skills and determine our weak points."

"Mock-battle," Renjiro repeated, pretending that he couldn't see right through Tsunade's ploy at learning more about the refugees' abilities, "War games?"

"Exactly," Tsunade gave him a too bright smile.

"And when exactly would you like to hold these… war games?" Renjiro asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I've set aside one of our training fields three days from now. Do you think you and your people can be ready by then?"

"I don't see why not," Renjiro said, with a shrug. Then, when there was only silence from Tsunade, "Is there anything else you need from me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes there is, now that you mention it," Tsunade gave him another of her brittle smiles, "I'd like it if you could give me a rundown of the various skill levels of your people, that way I can make sure to have a well-balanced team to challenge you."

"Very well," Renjiro said, sighing inwardly at this artifice, "My team will consist of one Jounin, myself, and four Chuunin. I would suggest the other team be made up of ninja of similar levels. I personally excel in taijutsu, so someone skilled in hand to hand combat would be a good match for me. Though the rest of my team are Chuunin, they possess varying levels of skill, thus it might be a good idea to have a wide range of skill levels on the opposing team. The youngest, Keiji, has been a Chuunin for less than two years, so someone else new to Chuunin-level experiences might be the best match for him. The two women, Eriko and Suzu, are both mid-range Chuunin, as far as ability levels go, though Suzu is a taijutsu specialist and Eriko is a medical specialist with some unique ninjutsu. Our remaining member, Juro, is skilled in a number of areas and is probably ready to be promoted to Jounin, so if you have another Chuunin who exceeds Chuunin levels, or a Jounin who has only recently been promoted, you might want to have them on the opposing team."

Tsunade nodded and scribbled something on a ledger as Renjiro talked, finally looking up when he finished. "I think all that can be arranged. Is there anything else you can think of that would help you prepare for this training exercise?"

"Let us know who are opponents are prior to the match, that way we can gain intelligence on them before engaging them in combat." It was a stretch, Renjiro knew, but if this were a real-life situation, his team wouldn't make a move without knowing as much as possible about those they were set to battle.

Surprisingly, however, Tsunade agreed with him. "I don't think that will be a problem, but be prepared for the other team to gather information on you as well."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"I'll be sending you a file later this afternoon with the names of the members of the opposing team. Thank you for taking the time to do this and for coming to see me."

"Certainly, Hokage-sama. It was my pleasure."

Once Renjiro had left her office, Tsunade pulled the book that contained all the current Konoha ninja registration forms from her bookshelf. Flipping through it, she decided to choose the Jounin member of Konoha's team first.

"Someone who's good at hand to hand combat," she muttered under her breath as she searched, then paused suddenly when she came across the registration form for Sarutobi Asuma. "Perfect," Tsunade smiled, and then looked up as Shizune bustled into her office, a breakfast tray balanced precariously on top of several ledgers. "Shizune, would you please send in Izumo and Kotetsu the moment they arrive? I've got a few files I need them to look up."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Shizune replied, and Tsunade was suddenly struck with another brilliant idea.

Izumo and Kotetsu. They were both mid-range Chuunin, and since they worked directly for her they would be more than willing to participate in her little experiment. Also, since they primarily did clerical work for her, it would be incredibly difficult for the other team to gather any sort of intelligence on their abilities.

Tsunade chuckled to herself and continued searching for the final two members to round out Konoha's team. She didn't have to look far, however, as the next form she came across was that of Nara Shikamaru.

'Well, Renjiro did ask for someone who didn't have much experience as a Chuunin,' Tsunade grinned, 'So what if they might get more than they bargained for with Shikamaru. All was fair in love and war, right? Especially in mock-war.'

Quite pleased with how her team was coming together, Tsunade continued searching for the final member to be the icing on the cake. Then, almost as if by the grace of god, she flipped to the page containing the registration form for the final perfect participant in her information gathering experiment.

'Oh this is going to be good,' Tsunade thought, this time grinning openly, 'I can't wait to see how this plays out.'

* * *

"They want us to participate in war games?" Juro said dubiously, when Renjiro finally called all the refugees together for a meeting.

"They're trying to discover out our capabilities, mostly," Renjiro sighed, tiredly, "But I do agree that it could be an excellent training experience."

"And we're allowed to gather information on the other team beforehand?" Suzu asked, sounding just as unsure as Juro.

"Yes, I argued for that particular point specifically," Renjiro replied.

"So who are the members of the other team," Eriko finally asked, and Renjiro pulled the file Tsunade had sent to the hotel out of its envelope.

"The Jounin on their team is Sarutobi Asuma," Renjiro began.

"He was one of the guys who came with us on the retrieval mission," said Juro, nodding to himself, "The one with the knives and the bad smoking habit, remember?"

The rest of the refugees nodded in response while Renjiro continued. "The lowest level Chuunin on their team is named Nara Shikamaru," he read, "Only recently promoted from Genin. Well, we shouldn't have much trouble with him, I'd suspect."

"The two mid-level Chuunin are Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. I've never heard of them, but from what little information we've been given, I'd assume they're fairly well rounded. And the final member of the opposing team…" Renjiro flipped the page and blanched suddenly.

"Well, who is it?" Juro asked, puzzled by Renjiro's reaction.

Renjiro looked up from the file, and stared directly at Suzu.

"Umino Iruka."

* * *

Iruka couldn't believe Tsunade was making him do this. First she chewed him out about dating Suzu, then she asked him to spy on her, and now she wanted to put him in a situation where it was possible he could cause her physical harm. Iruka wondered if Tsunade secretly held a grudge against him that he didn't know about. Granted he'd been more than a little rude to her on a few occasions, but he was known for being, well… outspoken. Surely she didn't take it personally?

Iruka leaned against the railing of the balcony where Asuma had called a meeting and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. Currently the bearded Jounin was reading over the various statistics his team had gathered about the opposing team. Although most of it was information Iruka already knew, he was bound to listen to Asuma, just in case someone had thrown in something that he hadn't already found out.

"The Jounin in their group, Miho Renjiro," Asuma read aloud, "Thirty-five years old. Taijutsu specialist. Possesses a special jutsu that allows him to create blades of pure chakra to attack his opponents. Used to be an advisor to the Kage of the Hidden Village of Sound. Formerly the sensei of Terada Juro and Arai Suzu."

"Terada Juro. High-level Chuunin, age twenty-two. Genjutsu specialist and possibly the most potentially powerful of their group. Will likely be promoted to Jounin shortly. He's clever, remarkably talented at illusions, and competent in both taijutsu and ninjutsu, so remain alert around this one."

"Arai Suzu. Mid-level Chuunin, age twenty-one." At that, Asuma looked up and grinned wolfishly at Iruka, "Been robbing the cradle a bit, have we, Iruka?"

Iruka just scowled at him.

"Suzu's another taijutsu specialist," Asuma continued, "She possesses a lesser form of Renjiro's "Spirit Blade" ability. She can channel chakra into actual weapons to increase their damage. She doesn't seem to have his chakra control or stamina, however, so if you can distract her, she may not be able to maintain her special jutsu."

"Nishio Eriko. Mid-level Chuunin, age twenty-six. Medical specialist. We weren't able to find out much else about her, unfortunately. Tsunade mentioned something about her possessing special jutsus, but we don't know what they are, so use extreme caution when dealing with her."

"Finally, Jo Keiji. Low level Chuunin, age nineteen. We don't know much about him either, but from what Iruka's told us we can assume he possesses some musical or sound-related jutsus, most likely illusion or emotion-oriented. He's the least experienced of the group and doesn't seem to work well with others, so if you can isolate him, do so. He should be pretty easy to take out without the rest of his team to back him up."

"Well that's about it," Asuma said, wrapping things up. "Tsunade expects us to meet at the training field tomorrow morning at dawn."

"Dawn?" groaned Shikamaru.

"Yes dawn, so everyone go home and relax and get a good night's sleep. I want to win this thing," Asuma gave them an almost feral grin.

With that, the team dispersed, and Iruka turned to walk slowly back to his apartment, muttering darkly under his breath the entire time. He hoped that he wouldn't have to face Suzu on the field of battle the following day, but knowing how his luck been running lately, he had a sinking feeling that it just might come down to that. Iruka hoped he'd make the right decision when the time came… whatever the right decision might be.


	15. Rhapsody

**Author's Note:** I know it's been a long time since I last updated and I apologize. The new semester started and I suddenly found I had a lot less free time than I was used to. I'll try to continue to update this story as frequently as I can, but I apologize if I lag behind occasionally. At any rate, this chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but when I sat down and started writing it, I realized I probably needed at least three chapters to go over everything that takes place during the war games. Here, however, is the first part.

**Chapter Fifteen: Rhapsody**

The next morning at dawn the two teams of ninja, Tsunade, Shizune, Genma and Raidoh arrived at the practice field to begin the war games. While each of the teams stretched and warmed up, Iruka glanced over at Suzu to see how she was handling things. It had been a day or two since he'd seen her, as Renjiro had insisted on extra vigorous training for his team after learning that the games would take place. From what Iruka could see, Suzu looked focused, though she did meet his eyes briefly and gave him a secretive smile. Iruka smiled in return.

"All right, this is how the game will be played," Tsunade addressed those assembled, gesturing to the heavily wooded practice field. "There are two teams consisting of five members of various skill levels. The playing field is divided in half, with each half being a team's territory. At each end of the field is a marker indicating that team's home base. Each team will be given five ribbons in the opposing team's colors, with different numerical values, which they may place in their own territory. For the purposes of this game you will be team 'Blue'," she gestured to Asuma's team, "And you will be team 'Red'," a nod at Renjiro.

"The purpose of the game," she continued, "Is for each team to cross into enemy territory and bring their ribbons safely back to their own home base. Their opponents may attempt to stop them from retrieving the ribbons, or they may remove the ribbons from their opponents in any way they can. Keep in mind, however, that this is a friendly game, so don't kill anyone," Tsunade's eyes narrowed, focusing on the refugees. "If a player is determined to be disabled, they will be removed from the game."

"A team may only lay traps in their own territory. Once a team's ribbon has returned to its home base, it is no longer in play and that team will be awarded points based on the numerical value of the ribbon. The game will end at noon or when one team has been determined to be the obvious winner. Shizune and I will be watching from the observation tower," Tsunade indicated a large wooden structure in the center of the playing field, "While Genma and Raidoh will be acting as referees in the thick of the action. Do I really need to say 'don't attack the referees'?" Genma and Raidoh smirked at one another.

"I think that's about it," Tsunade said, "Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"

"How does one determine if someone is 'disabled'?" Shikamaru half-raised his hand, sounding bored and irritated.

"That is up to the referees to decide," Tsunade replied. "Any more questions?"

"When you say 'place' the ribbons," Juro asked, "Does that mean we can put them anywhere? Can we bury them, for instance? Or toss them into a stream?"

"The ribbons must be placed somewhere they can be located when searched for," Tsunade said. "You can't bury them, to use your example, because it would be almost impossible for the other team to locate them. However, you can hang them from the branches of a high tree if you want. The only rule is that they must be visible in some way, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't be concealed in other ways. Does that make sense?" Tsunade asked.

Juro nodded, "I think I understand what you're getting at."

"Any other questions before we begin?"

The rest of the members of the two teams shook their heads and Tsunade nodded, "Good, both teams gather at their home bases and you'll be given the signal to start." With that, Tsunade and Shizune turned and made their way to the observation tower in the center of the wooded lot.

"Red team follow me," Renjiro barked, gathering his team together and heading in the direction of their home base. Raidoh trailed along behind.

Asuma's team headed in the opposite direction and Iruka shot Suzu one last glance over his shoulder as he was hustled in the direction of his own team's home base. Genma followed the Blue team.

Upon reaching his team's home base, Renjiro turned to Raidoh, who pulled a fistful of wide blue ribbons from his pocket and handed them over. Renjiro crouched and fanned the ribbons on the ground before him so the rest of his team could see, while Raidoh pulled on a microphone headset and slipped an earpiece into place.

"There are five ribbons, but the highest number printed on them is a three," Suzu said, surprised when the ribbons' numerical values were revealed to be two one-point value ribbons, two two-point value ribbons, and on three-point value ribbon.

"That's kind of odd," Juro replied, thoughtfully. "But I guess it helps to cut down on the possibility of a tie."

"Think of these ribbons as mission goals," Renjiro explained, "The largest one is the main goal of the mission, and likely the most difficult to obtain. However, if several of the smaller goals of a mission are obtained in its stead, then it balances out overall."

"I guess that makes sense," Juro said, pushing a hand through his dark green hair, "But this is going to be a really complex game."

"It is," Renjiro nodded, "But I'm sure we can win it. The first thing we need to do is determine a strategy about where to hide the ribbons."

As Renjiro gathered the rest of his team together to discuss strategy, Raidoh tested his headset by letting Tsunade know that the Red team was in position.

"Good," Tsunade's voice crackled over the earpiece, "The other team is also in position. I'll give them a few minutes to pull themselves together before we begin."

"Roger," Raidoh replied, leaning against a nearby tree as the Red team continued to discuss strategy. A few minutes later he straightened and made his way over to Renjiro. "The Hokage says it is now time to begin," he said, with a nod.

Renjiro nodded in response then turned to his team, "Just as we discussed, now go."

The Red team moved swiftly beneath the canopy of trees, shifting into their respective positions.

* * *

Shikamaru was irritated. It was far too early to be awake and he was stuck participating in this troublesome game when all he really wanted to be doing was sleeping. To top it all off, Asuma had decided that he should be one of the scouts sent into the other team's territory to retrieve the ribbons. 

Shikamaru sighed quietly in exasperation and continued to move stealthily through the trees. However, when he realized that he'd seemingly passed the same stretch of woods twice, he stopped short. Frowning to himself, he glanced around, quickly forming a plan of action and began to move again, testing his theory. When he again passed the same crooked tree with the lichen at its base for a third time, he formed a seal and dispelled the illusion.

As the illusion cleared, almost as if in reward, Shikamaru saw a blue ribbon hanging from a tree branch some distance away. Instead of moving forward to claim his prize, however, he froze, considering. It was extremely doubtful that this situation was as simple as it seemed. The ribbon could be an illusion as well, or could be trapped, or both. Also, since it was necessary for a ninja to actually maintain such a large illusion, there was most certainly someone hidden nearby.

Shikamaru sighed again, and scratched his head, thinking. He was at a disadvantage not knowing where his opponent was hidden. He'd have to lure him or her out into the open somehow. Settling on a strategy, he carefully began to move toward the tree that contained the ribbon.

Nearing its base, Shikamaru formed the seal to dispel illusions once more but this time nothing happened. So it was a real ribbon then.

Positioning himself carefully, Shikamaru crouched and then leapt upward toward the branch, as if he were attempting to snatch the ribbon. As soon as he neared it, however, several explosions boomed from the surrounding trees, and Shikamaru flew sideways as if struck landing limply on the ground below. He lay still for several moments until he finally heard the slight crackle of a twig underfoot and felt a shadow fall over him. Moving quickly, Shikamaru spun onto his hands and knees and aimed a kick at where the encroaching person should be.

The young man managed to dodge Shikamaru's kick easily, but cursed under his breath, knowing that he'd been caught out. He leapt backward as Shikamaru quickly climbed to his feet and, for a moment, the two stood facing one another.

Thinking quickly, Keiji threw a small volley of shuriken at Shikamaru and darted sideways into the cover of trees. Landing in a half crouch, he pulled his wooden flute from his belt and raised it to his lips.

Shikamaru dodged the shuriken by leaping in the same direction he'd seen Keiji move. Sliding to a halt, he quickly formed the seal for his Shadow Imitation technique. A tendril of shadow snaked forward toward Keiji's feet.

The instant Shikamaru's shadow touched Keiji's own, Keiji blew a single piercing note on his flute and they both froze completely.

On a nearby tree branch, Raidoh crouched, watching. After several moments of neither opponent moving, he blinked and scratched his head, then radioed Tsunade to let her know that both Keiji and Shikamaru had been disabled and would be removed from the match. Tsunade, watching from the observation tower, replied in agreement.

As Raidoh began to move toward the two frozen ninja, he caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and suddenly Izumo burst from between the trees, heading directly toward the branch where the bright blue ribbon flapped harmlessly. Raidoh paused, waiting to see what would happen.

The moment Izumo's fingers closed around the ribbon, his eyes widened and time seemed to stand still as Juro suddenly appeared as if forming out of thin air. Raidoh blinked again. That was a very good illusion, especially since he himself hadn't noticed it. He wondered how long the green-haired man had been there.

Izumo landed lightly and began forming a series of seals.

Juro began forming seals before his feet even touched the ground, with a rapidity that Izumo did not possess. The moment Jurodid land,there was a sudden, deafening boom and Izumo was thrown backward. In an instant Juro was upon him, kunai drawn, the blade resting against Izumo's throat.

Raidoh, grinned. Juro was so fast that Raidoh had barely seen him move.

"Do you surrender?" Juro asked Izumomildly.

Izumo grumbled a bit, but seeing no way out, he finally sighed in resignation. Stepping from the cover of trees, Raidoh nodded and offered a hand up to Izumo as Juro removed the blade. One more player was now removed from the game.

Tipping his head to Raidoh, Juro grinned at the referee and sheathed his kunai. Taking the ribbon back from Izumo, he then formed a seal and vanished in a small puff of smoke.

Izumo shoved his hands in his pockets, resigned, and prepared to leave the playing field. Just at that moment, however, both Keiji and Shikamaru toppled over, unconscious and exhausted from being forced to maintain the chakra control necessary for their respective ninjutsu. Unable to help themselves, Raidoh and Izumo glanced at each other andthen burst out laughing. Shaking his head in amusement, Izumo draped Shikamaru over his shoulder while Raidoh hoisted Keiji over his own. The two men then carried the unconcious ninja from the playing field.


End file.
